Dark Angel: Irresistible Rivals
by elle6778
Summary: COMPLETE. Max and Alec have a series of encounters, and as expected, sparks fly between them. There's no love lost between them, that's for sure! But how long will they deny the attraction? AU.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

Title: Irresistible Rivals  
Author: elle6778  
Rating: T  
Show: Dark Angel  
Genre: Action  
Summary: Max and Alec have a series of encounters, and as expected sparks fly between them. But how long will they deny the attraction? And what do her siblings think of him?

Status: WIP Series

A/N: I was going to say that this is an AU story, but then all M/A fics are! There will be many unanswered questions, especially in the first couple of chapters, but the past will reveal itself as the story unfolds. This is meant to be a light-hearted action, so I hope that you will enjoy reading it.

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 1**

(by elle6778)

The setting sun cast orangey red rays down onto the bustling marketplace, subtly signifying the approach of dusk. The place was still packed, even at that late hour, but that was what everyone expected of the biggest trading centres in post-Pulse Seattle.

The jostling from the throng of human traffic did not bother the dark haired girl standing motionless in the middle of the dusty path. Her attention was fixed on one particular object, the expression on her face made it clear that she was reliving a bittersweet memory.

The words 'Happy Birthday' on the red balloon brought a smile to her face. She remembered the time when she had seen a balloon for the first time. It had been during one of their training sessions when she and the rest of her siblings caught sight of the round object with its string tangled in a tree. She could not remember who, Seth of Ben, but later, one of them had taken it down and released it into the air.

She remembered the feeling of being awed, so amazed at the thing which she had not known was a thing completely normal for children her age. The balloon drifted so peacefully, and in turn, it had conveyed a sense of hope to her at that time.

Ironically, it was that very day that her life and those of her siblings took a drastic turn.

Ten years had passed since then.

Max turned away from the stall which was selling those balloons, at the same time tearing herself away from her memories. This was not the time to mull over the past.

She has a mission to complete tonight and she needed to get geared up.

* * *

A quick glance at his watch told 494 that he had better hurry, or else he would miss his schedule. He was already decked in his disguise, a very uncomfortable set of tailored suit, and his left pocket contained some of the other gadgets he would require for his mission.

But he was missing his gun.

_Damn it_, he swore as he skidded to a halt in front of the locked door labelled 'Armaments' in big block letters. Irritated, he stabbed his index finger on the black comms button in the side panel which he knew would link him to the control room.

"Yes?" a crackling voice came through the speaker in the panel.

"X5-494 requesting access to weapons," he said calmly, sounding completely at odds with how he was actually feeling. _Come on, come on. Just let me in._

"State your purpose, 494," the voice replied.

494 rolled his eyes. "Mission reference R226-494. My clearance is in the file," he gritted out, unable to prevent his impatience from seeping into his voice.

The comms panel went silent. Thirty seconds later, it crackled back on. "You may proceed."

The metal grille shutter which was preventing his entrance to the room began to retract sideways, exposing the contents of the room to his view. The walls were lined with rows of weapons, all arranged by technical specifications and sizes. The respective accessories were placed close to the main arms.

494 headed to the far end of the room, to the shelf where his favourite semiautomatic handgun, the Heckler-Koch Mk23, was housed. The weapon was stored together with its quick-detachable silencer and a supply of .45ACP cartridges. It was more than adequate for his mission tonight.

If he made it in time, of course.

At that reminder, 494 grabbed the gun and its accessories. After he attached the silencer to the end of the threaded barrel, he tucked it into his waist and made his way out of the room. As he blurred pass the door, he slammed the control button to the metal shutters to close it.

494 was already out of the building when the two sides of the metal shutters met in the middle.

* * *

Max groaned helplessly as she surveyed the mess on her bed. Clothes, predominantly black, were strewn all over haphazardly on top of one another but still she could not find something appropriate.

A sharp rap on her door startled her.

"Yeah?" she yelled without looking at the door. Instead, she continued to rummage through the pile on her bed. "Let yourself in." Max heard the door open, followed by the sounds of footsteps belonging to two people.

She turned around to find Zane and Eva shaking their heads at the state her room was in. "What?" Max snapped defensively. "I'm running late, alright?"

"I can see that," Zane said with a snigger. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, looking every inch the son of a rich investor. Walking towards her bed, he lifted up a lacy red bra with his forefinger and thumb, eyeing it with interest. "Is this really necessary for the mission?"

"Give me that!" Max snapped, snatching her underwear back from Zane. "If you can't make yourself useful, then just leave me to finish this by myself, okay?"

Zane held up his hands, palms out. "Hey, really sunny today as usual, aren't we?" he commented sarcastically.

With a weary groan, Eva yanked Zane by his sleeves and pushed him towards the door. "Leave her alone before she decides to kick your ass in," she advised helpfully.

When the door closed behind Zane, Eva turned to face Max in concern. "Alright, what's bugging you?"

Max took a deep breath and exhaled. "I hate these missions, you know, the undercover ones. It's a pain having to pretend to be someone else. Especially when it's this kind of ditzy bimbo role," she confessed irritably.

"You know we have no choice right now. Normally, these will be covered by Jondy or Syl, but they're not available. Syl's with Krit and Zack. And Jondy's going to be away for who knows how long," Eva explained for the hundredth time.

Max sank on her bed on top of her clothes. "I hope Zack, Syl and Krit find the cure for Brin soon," she said with concern.

"Me too. The room the doctors have been keeping Brin in is at sub-zero temperature, but that's the only way to keep her from overheating. Her Progeria is getting worse," Eva said with a sad sigh.

"It just doesn't seem fair, you know. We've already lost Ben and Jace, and now Brin's so sick," Max complained as she picked up a slinky black top and after studying it for a second, tossed it aside.

Eva laid a comforting hand on Max's shoulders. "All of us are sad that Ben and Jace didn't make it. They would have loved the way things are going now. But we were too young then, and we didn't know what was going on. Brin's different. We're actually doing something to try to help her now. Listen, let's not think about it now, okay. We need to get you ready. You got your mission equipments?"

Max nodded, then she grimaced. "Yeah, I got the usual kit." Then she pointed at her bed. "This, however, is a different story. Like it's so easy to find something formal to wear that at the same time will let me run and fight," she said dejectedly.

Eva laughed as she pulled Max to her feet. "Come on, Maxie, let's see what you have here."

Max sighed in resignation.

* * *

Samuel Davies's mansion and its sprawling ground was a testament to the profitability of his profession; Weapons Engineering.

As he got out of his chauffeur driven limousine, 494 noted with detached professional interest that the party was already in full swing.

_Good,_ he thought. That way he would attract less attention.

494 handed the invitation which identified him as Daniel Page, a well-known investor in new post-Pulse technology, to the attendant at the reception. Manticore had 'taken care' of the real Daniel Page yesterday. At the attendant's nod, 494 walked through the archway leading him inside the mansion.

The main congregation area was brightly lit under the fountain of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The occupants of the room paid no attention to the lavish décor, obviously used to these sorts of luxury.

_Those in the weapons industry must be making lots of money_, _not just the engineers,_ 494 thought, somewhat amused.

His trained eyes automatically scanned the room for possible exit points and the positions of the guards. The guards were being discreet, watchful without being obvious, but to 494's eyes, they stood out like red flags.

He accepted a flute of champagne from a passing waitress, returning her shy smile with one of his own. His senses told him that her eyes were on him even after he had turned to look in the other direction, but he ignored it, used to these sorts of female attention. Then he continued his survey for a few more minutes before he decided that he should make his way closer to his target.

The curving main staircase was located at the other end of the room. 494 gave it a cursory glance before he dismissed it. Instead, he moved around the fringe of the crowd, occasionally nodding to a few people to make it look as if he belonged.

And then a flash of white out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention.

He paused, slowly turning around to find himself looking at one of the most extraordinary looking woman he had ever laid eyes on.

She was facing sideways, talking to an older lady. Tendrils of dark hair which escaped the pile at the back of her head framed her face, teasing the exposed back of her elegant neck. Her caramel coloured skin stood out in the white halter-neck dress she was wearing. She was petite, but every time she moved, the high slit on the sides of her dress hinted at the very long legs underneath.

494 smiled inwardly. He knew how to appreciate beauty, especially considering where he grew up. If he was not on a mission, maybe he would have made his way to her. Then, realising what he was thinking of, he grimaced.

Since when was he ever _not_ on a mission?

Those were the only time he came into contact with the outside world. But hey, who wanted to be outside when they could call Manticore home, huh? He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

Pushing all thoughts of the woman to the back of his mind, he continued towards the entrance which led to a darker hallway. As he stepped away from the crowd into the hallway, he noticed that only the catering staff used it.

He walked pass two waiters before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Forcing himself to appear relaxed when in reality he was as tense as a coiled spring, 494 turned around.

"Can I help you?" the waitress who handed him the champagne earlier asked, pushing her blonde hair behind her ears.

494 smiled, relieved that it was not one of the guards. It would have been really awkward it was. This mission was meant to be covert. Well, as covert as his sorts of missions could be. It would just be messier if he had to waste a couple of guards right in the middle of the hallway.

"I'm just looking for the washroom," he explained. Then he flashed a charming smile at her, letting his eyes tell her that he found her very attractive.

It worked, because when the waitress smiled, it was a bold smile, a confident one. "You're heading the wrong way," she said.

He pretended to be surprised. "Oh? Bad sense of direction, I guess."

"I can show you where it is, if you want," she said, her eyes inviting him to something completely out of the scope of his mission. Her hand on his chest confirmed it.

494 gave her a promising smile as he folded his hand over hers. "Not just yet. I may need some… assistance a little later," he said suggestively. And then, lifting up her hand, he planted a kiss on it.

Just then, the brunette in white brushed past them, sending a subtle trail of fragrance behind her. 494 could not help but inhale. Her scent was refreshing, unlike what most of the women in the place was wearing. A unique mix of citrus and flowers, and something else completely individual, he noted with more interest than he ought to feel.

Watching her retreating back, he wondered curiously where she was heading.

The waitress touched his arm, bringing his attention back to her. "So, maybe later, huh?" the waitress said, sounding hopeful.

494 nodded encouragingly and then watched her walk away.

When he turned back to where he last saw the brunette, she was gone.

* * *

Max rolled her eyes after she had passed the couple in the hallway.

These rich men have nothing to do but to attend parties and pick up waitresses, she thought in amusement as she slipped past a large sculpture. Though she could not quite understand why this particular one felt the need to hook up with someone in a dark hallway. The way he looked, she would bet that he has no trouble catching the attention of the general female population.

Well, she had better things to do than to think about him, however attractive he was.

With a quick backward glance to check that no one spotted her, she went up a flight of stairs and then immediately turned the corner into a shadowy alcove. As expected, a door came into view. A small panel was attached to it.

Max smiled. She was on the right track.

"I'm at the door," she murmured softly, knowing that Eva could hear her.

Eva's voice came into her ears. "Good. It should lead you to another section of the house."

Max peered at the panel, her transgenic eyesight letting her see the different numbers on the touchpad even in the dim light. "There's panel here. I'm going to try to break in."

Leaning closer, she was able to see the fingerprints on the touchpad. 3, 5, 1, 8, she noted. Studying it carefully, she tracked the directions the smudge marks from the numbers. The smudge from went from 1 to 5, then 8 to 3, 3 to 1 but no trace of anything from 5 to 8.

Max grinned. "I got it," she said softly. "8315," she told Eva as she tapped in the code.

"Good work," Eva said just as the door swung open silently in front of Max.

"I'm in," she whispered.

Then Max heard Zane's voice. "Why does she always get to do the fun bits?" he grumbled.

"Because I'm less clumsy, you big oaf," Max replied, suppressing her laughter. She could almost imagine Zane's scowl at her words.

He shot back. "No, I'm back here just better at making small talk to nice people. You're useless at it. No people skills at all."

"Can we get back to the mission?" Eva snapped, obviously tired of their childishness.

Max grinned as she heard Zane mutter something indescribable under his breath.

She walked in to a room which was obviously used as a lab of some sort. A few computer terminals lined the wall on one side. As she made her way to the one which looked like the main terminal, Max fingered her hair and found what she was looking for; the pen drive she had clipped on earlier, slotted into the barrette holding up her hair.

Crouching, she inserted the pen-drive a slot at the back and nodded in satisfaction when the green light on the drive started blinking. "I'm downloading the information now."

"Jack said that it took just a couple of minutes when he last tested it on a 1.5 terabyte hard-disk. Normally these things take a bit longer, but Jack somehow managed to bump up the download rate. Something to do with the adapter, he said," Eva explained.

Max groaned. "Spare me the details. All I want is the data right now and I'm out of here."

"You still got Phase 2 to complete before we can go," Eva pointed out patiently.

"Gee, I'm all excited now," Max said sarcastically. Over her comms, she heard Eva expel a long-suffering sigh.

When the indicator on the pen-drive stopped blinking, Max quickly pulled it out and slotted it back into the barrette. Tapping her hair into place, she made her way to the door.

Her exit from the room was unhindered, but when she reached the base of the stairs she barely took a step before a figure materialised from the dark hallway.

She froze; her defences automatically went on the alert as she slowly turned around.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! This is only the first chapter, and I know that there are more questions than answers. Hopefully it did not put you off. I'd really appreciate it if you could review and let me know if you think it's worth a continuation.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks for all your support and reviews! Made me feel a little better about continuing this story now. There'll be some clues as to what had happened in the past in this chapter, but as usual, there'll be a couple more questions hanging in the air.

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 2**

(by elle6778)

She froze; her defences automatically went on the alert.

And then relaxed when she realised who was there. It was the man she had seen earlier cosying up to the waitress. He was partially hidden by the shadows but with her enhanced eyesight, she had no trouble recognising him.

"Lost?" he asked with a smile as he stepped into the light.

_He's quite cute_, Max thought. He filled his suit nicely, not like most other rich men. And he has the face to go with it. Hazel eyes, she noted. Nice. A colour she was partial to. She could get used to those eyes, she thought. Nice smile too.

Then realising what just went through her mind, she blinked rapidly. _What was she thinking? Hell, what did he just asked her? Right, time to come up with some feasible excuse._ Forcing her face to compose a ditzy smile, she improvised, "I'm just looking for our host. Have you seen Mr Davies?"

He stepped closer to her.

Max suddenly felt a little self-conscious. She could not help but notice how nice he smelled. Stifling a groan, she scolded herself, _okay, get your head back in the game, girl!_

He shook his head. "Not recently. The last time I saw him, he was in the main hall. You could look there."

Max's hand flew to her head, playing the role of the scatterbrained female. "Oh, why didn't I think of that?"

His eyes narrowed just a fraction, but Max noticed it. _Oops!_ Was she laying it on too thick?Damn, she knew there was a reason why she hated these sorts of things. And for some reason, she felt more flustered than usual right now.

She gave him a bright smile, hoping that it would throw off his suspicions. "It's a good party, isn't it? Very well organised," she said. A snort came from her comms, obviously from Zane. Because Zane loved to irritate her like that. A scowl made its way to her face before she could stop it.

"Are you alright?" the guy asked, looking a little puzzled.

He was probably wondering why she looked so irritated, Max thought. Nodding, careful to keep it natural, she replied, "Yes. I'm just a little tired. It's kinda late."

He raised his eyebrows. "It's not that late," he pointed out.

_Shit!_ "I had a long day. And I need my sleep," she said, this time unable to keep the edge off her voice.

He smirked knowingly, as if he knew how flustered she felt. _Like he knew how his good looks were affecting her_, Max thought in irritation. "I see. So that must be how you keep yourself looking good," he said, tilting his head to one side.

Her eyes widened. _Was that a compliment?_ "Um, yeah, I guess," she mumbled. If only he knew how little sleep she needed, he would not be making that comment. But she guessed that most Ordinaries would not take the news that she was a genetically enhanced soldier too well. Too bad. This guy was cute, but she knew that it was better for her to stick with someone of her own kind.

Someone like Seth.

Zane's voice came across her comms. "Just walk away, Max. We're running late."

Max gave the man a small smile. "Well, I think I'd better go. It's nice to meet you," she said as she turned to leave.

Her departure was cut short when she felt a set of strong fingers clamping down on her forearm, making her tense reflexively at the suddenness of his move. A surge of adrenaline coursed through her. _Had she been made? Was he actually an undercover guard?_

When she slowly turned to look back over her shoulders, he abruptly released his hold.

He was wearing an apologetic look, almost sheepish, in fact. "Sorry," he said, nodding at her arm. "I was thinking maybe we can talk later, if we see each other later tonight?"

She turned to face him fully, uncomfortably aware of the imprint of his fingers on her right arm. When his words registered, her eyes narrowed. _The waitress was not enough for him so he was hitting on her now?_ Her opinion of him went down a notch. If he was not so cute, she would punch him.

"So?" he prompted when she did not answer, studying with an expectant look.

"Um, sure," she agreed noncommittally, knowing that no such thing will happen if their night went according to plan. And anyway, the guy could always go back to the waitress.

"I'll see you later, then." Just as he was about to turn away, he asked, "What's your name?"

"I-" Max started to say, but halted when she saw Zane walking their way.

It did not take him long to reach her side. "Sweetheart, did you find him?" he asked, sliding an arm around her waist, subtly pulling her away from the other man. "Our host?" Zane prompted pointedly when she did not reply.

"No, I think I'm in the wrong part of the house," she said, injecting what she hoped to be the correct amount of bewilderment in her voice. _What was Zane doing here anyway? And doesn't he know that his fingers are tickling her ribs,_ she thought irritably.

The man interjected. "I told her earlier that Mr Davies might be in the main hall." She noticed that he seemed colder now that Zane has arrived. _Must be the possessive male thing,_ she thought, suppressing the urge to snort.

Zane gave him a curt but polite nod. Taking his hand off her waist, he shook the other man's hand. "Thank you for your help. Let's go, sweetie," he said, taking her hand in his to lead her back down the hallway.

When they were out of earshot of the man, Zane let go of her hand. "I thought you might have needed some help back there."

Max rolled her eyes. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Especially with some Ordinary."

"Fine. So, you got it?"

Max nodded and pointed to her hair. "In the barrette. Take it and get it out of here. I need to move on to the next phase."

Zane lifted his hands to her hair, sliding the pen drive out of her barrette and quickly pocketed it. "I'll wait for you in here," he said when they arrived at the main hall.

Shaking her head, careful to keep her voice low so that no one could hear them, Max said softly, "No. Just go, okay? I can handle it by myself."

"I don't like it, Max," he said with an anxious frown.

Max bristled at his words. Zane was really overprotective sometimes. It had not always been like that. Back when they still were in Manticore, he had not shown it much. It had only been like this since they had been taken out of Manticore that one fateful day.

"Well, tough. I'm not having you standing there looking on protectively as I carry out my mission. So, go," she hissed, irritated.

Eva's voice came through both their comms. "We need to move, guys. The party's going to be over before we know it. Zane, get back here with the stuff. Don't forget you need to plant the transmitters."

Grumbling under his breath, Zane relented. "Fine. I'm on it," he said. Throwing Max a concerned look, he said, "Take care, okay?" he advised as he went towards the exit.

Max nodded and said, "I'll see you outside."

Then she made her way to Mr Davies.

* * *

_Too bad she was already taken. Or else, who knows? He might have gotten lucky,_ 494 thought as he watched her retreating back. She was even prettier up close. Unique. Not the sorts of looks one got to see everyday. But he guessed that there would be no chat over champagne later tonight for them.

494 shrugged. He needed to work on the mission anyway. So it was just as well.

He waited until the girl's footsteps had faded before he moved.

His steps were quiet, his movements as stealthy as a wary feline. The only thing he could hear was the sound of his clothes rubbing together.

When he finally arrived at his destination, 494 let his eyes adjust to the darkness in the alcove before he pulled out a cigar case from his pocket. Opening it, he pulled out what looked like an ordinary cigar. He twisted it, revealing a slim metallic stick about the size of a nail file. It was a universal decoder Manticore had designed and then issued to its soldiers as standard.

He pointed the decoder at the panel on the door and pressed a small button at its side. A beam of light came out of the end, going through the panel, manipulating the security chip inside the locked door.

He did not have to wait long. Within a few seconds, a small blip sounded and the door swung open.

When he stepped in, he froze. A quick scan around the room told him that he was alone. Something was not quite right, but he could not seem put his finger on it. He decided to let his senses take over.

_Deep breaths, focus…_

He paused mid-breath.

Was it just his imagination or he could smell the girl's scent in the room? He sniffed, catching a faint whiff of citrus and flowers.

_Impossible. She can't possibly have got in here. She's a guest after all,_ 494 told himself. It must just be the lingering scent she had left on him when they talked a little while ago.

But she was coming down the stairs when he bumped into her. What could she be doing up there anyway?

He shook his head to clear it. What did it matter anyway? As long as whatever she was doing did not affect his mission, he did not care. Right now, he needed to concentrate only on one thing and it was not some stranger, however attractive she might be.

He went to the main terminal.

Flicking a small tab on his watch, he released a rectangular jack. He pulled that out, uncoiling a thin fibre-optic line from the inside of his watch.

Finding the slot he needed at the side of the terminal, he plugged the jack in and pressed a button on his watch. The face of his watch began to glow yellow. He waited another couple of minute before the light turned green and then faded out, signalling the completing of the download.

He pressed the tab on his watch again, and the line with its jack retracted back into his watch. As he did that, he noticed the time to be 2309 hours. The party was due to end at midnight, so he would have to wait till then to carry out the next part of his mission.

Now he would just have to go back down undetected and mingle.

* * *

Max suppressed the urge to make a face to the back of Davies's head. It did not take her long to persuade him to show her his 'private' designs. Max was pretty sure that her idea of 'private' and his was completely different.

She had gushed on about how she admired one of his latest developments, a small taser-like weapon specifically designed for self-defence, disguised as a ring. He had preened and stood as proud a peacock as she swallowed the urge to gag right in front of his face. Without him noticing, she had also dropped some sedative into his flute of champagne when she leaned over under the pretence of brushing some lint off his shoulder.

Predictably, he had been more than willing to show her where he worked, an office upstairs. It was also the place where he accessed the hidden room to his prototypes, but he did not know that Max knew that.

He was still holding the spiked champagne in one of his hands when he entered the code to his office on the panel. Max's eyes took in the sequence. 9248, she noted, just in case she would need it. It never hurt to be prepared, that was what Zack always reminded her.

When they stepped into the office, the door swung shut. Max only had about two seconds to note that no expenses were spared when it came to the interior decoration of the room before he turned and placed a hand behind her head, staring into her eyes. Max gritted her teeth and smiled, forcing herself not to smack his hand away.

"You're gorgeous, you know that?" he said, a waft of alcohol from his breath reaching her nostrils, to her disgust.

"And you're a genius," she gushed admiringly, batting her eyelashes.

He laughed, a nasal sound which grated on her nerves. She forced herself to smile, wondering if her jaw was going to crack soon under the strain.

Just as Max began to wonder if he had consumed enough of the champagne for the sedatives to work, he staggered back a little. Shaking his head, he laughed a little.

"Must have had too much of these," he said, blinking to clear his eyes.

Max wore a concerned expression. "Mr Davies, are you alright? Shall I get someone?"

He held up his hand. "No. No. I'll just sit for a while," he slurred as he made his way to his chair. "I'm afraid I'll have to show you my designs some other time. You head back to the party, alright? I'll join you later."

"Okay," Max said as she watched his eyelids droop.

When he slouched lower and slumped onto his desk, Max expelled a relieved sigh. "Finally," she muttered. "Davies is down," she announced triumphantly. "Yippee."

Zane's voice came over the comms. "Sleazy bastard," he growled, his disgust evident.

"Yeah," she agreed. Looking around the room, she went on, "Okay, I'm going to plant the bugs now."

"Are the transmitters in place?" Eva asked through the comms. "We need it to link back to Unitech."

"I'm on it now," Zane replied.

"Okay, let's get this over with," Max said as she took off one of her shoes.

Detaching the sole of her heels, she removed the three small audio and visual bugs from the hidden compartment. Making her way across the room, she planted one so that it faced Davies's desk. Another bug went on the wall opposite the large painting which she guessed was the entrance to the hidden room. The last one made its way to the opposite side of the room.

"All done. I'm getting out now," she said as she left the room.

"There are guards around. The area's not secure yet. I'm still holding on to the transmitter," Zane whispered over the comms.

Max saw her chance. Grinning, she remarked, "What can I say? Amateurs!"

"I'd like to watch you plant a transmitter right in front of the guards," he hissed, obviously irritated.

A groan came through the comms. "The mission, kids. The mission!" Eva reminded them in a long-suffering tone.

Sobering up, Max said, "I'll handle the guards. Where are you?"

"Head to the entrance."

* * *

494 looked at his watch. The crowd was thinning, he noted with approval. Now it was time to complete the second part of his mission.

One of the guests he had spoken to told him that Davies's had gone up to his office with a girl.

He frowned. The girl would be a complication. Nothing he could not handle, he was sure. But a complication nonetheless. He had hoped to catch Davies alone.

As he reached the room he was looking for, 494 looked left and right to make sure that no one was in the vicinity. Satisfied that he was alone, 494 used the decoder again to gain access

When he heard the soft blip signalling warning him that the door was about to open, he reached for his H-K semiautomatic and flipped the safety off.

Silently he slid in sideways through the open door.

And halted abruptly when he saw his target slumped over the desk, obviously asleep.

The scent of citrus and flowers hung in the air. _What the hell?_ He frowned and shook his head. What was his imagination doing to him today? Or maybe the girl who had come up with Davies was the one who caught his attention. That was feasible. After all, she had been looking for him earlier.

_Back on the mission_, he told himself. The girl was definitely not there anymore, so it did not matter.

Now, time to do what he came here to do.

It was too easy, he thought as he studied Davies's unconscious form. And in a way, it was better, not having to see the fear in the guy's eyes when he realised what was going to happen to him.

494 raised his gun and aimed it at Davies's head.

A loud hiss from the gun and a muffled pop was the only sound in the room as the bullet hit Davies square in the head.

* * *

Max flirted with the guards while Zane dropped the transmitter behind a row of potted plant which looked as if they had not been moved in a while. She wanted to grin. They were doing this right under the guards' noses and they did not even suspect anything.

When Zane cleared his throat, signalling that he was done, Max smiled sweetly at the grinning guards and said her goodbyes.

They waited for a few minutes while the valet went to get their car. It was a sleek pre-Pulse two-seater Porsche, which they had managed to borrow off Krit. Max rolled her eyes as she remembered the fuss her younger brother had made when they asked for it. Anyone would think that they were asking to borrow his life or something. It was just a mode of transportation.

When the car finally arrived, she got into the passengers' seat while Zane got into the drivers' seat. Max did not realise how tense she was until they got out of the gated compound and drove to the bottom of the hill.

"I'm glad that's over," she said as she took off her shoes and wriggled her toes.

Zane threw her a sideways glance. "That depends on what's in the pen drive. For all you know, we might need to go back," he pointed out as he turned into the highway.

Max groaned. "I hope Jondy or Syl will be back by then. I'll happily hand over this mission to them."

Zane grinned. "You didn't do too badly."

Max rounded her eyes. "Is that a compliment? From you?"

He snorted. "You wish. That just means that I'm very relieved that you didn't mess it up."

Max made a face. "Like I'd ever messed up before. Just in case you didn't know, Unitech has never complained about my performance in the last ten years."

"Yeah, for Breaking and Entering, that sort of thing. Easy stuff," Zane said dismissively.

She bristled indignantly. "That's not all I do. I specialise in Stealth. What about you, huh? If I recall correctly, six years ago you had to have extra coaching for failing Strategies. Hah! How about that?"

He glared at her. "I was thirteen years old at that time. And I didn't get any sleep the night before because Jondy had gone into heat and got us all worked up," he defended himself.

Max smirked. "So what? We're supposed to be able to function on very little sleep. So that's no excuse."

"I have you know that I'd never failed anything again after that time," Zane pointed out irritably. "And you, of all people, should understand how your heat affects us. Want a reminder?"

Max glared at him, knowing what he was about to say. "Hey, I-"

Eva's voice came over the comms, cutting short Max's retort. "Guys, we've a problem," she said, her voice tight.

Their bickering forgotten, Max exchanged a worried glance with Zane. "What problem?" she asked cautiously.

"You'll see when you get back to HQ," was all Eva said.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

**A/N: **That's the second chapter done. Hope you liked it. Please review – it'll make my day!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Once again, thank you for reviewing! More action coming up, and I hope that you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 3**

(by elle6778)

The facility they congregated in used to be some sort of lab, but it had since been converted into their Operational Base. Little cube-shaped air purifiers were stuck at various spots on the white walls and the benches which at one time used to house test tubes and lab equipments were now covered with computers and all sorts of electronic devices.

The transgenics just stared at the screen, their expression a mix of shock and bewilderment. The hum of machines and the clicking of fingers on keyboards around them went unnoticed.

"The head honchos at Unitech will not be too happy to hear this," Zane commented gravely, scratching him chin.

Eva took her eyes off the screen. "That's one problem. With the guy dead, how are we going to get the completed blueprint? As far as we know, what we downloaded should only be the work in progress version. Unitech wanted us to keep an eye on him so that we can learn more about the project," she added, her expression broadcasting her worry.

Max groaned. The mission had been fine until some idiot decided to kill their source of information. Now they would probably have to go back in to dig amongst his stuff. _Great!_

"We only caught the top of the shooter's head as he exited the room. It's a male. The transmitter wasn't in place yet when he entered the room, so we can't see his face," Jack said. Then he gestured to the guy behind the computer. "Mack's trying to refine the image. I don't know, maybe we can catch his reflection somewhere."

"I doubt that'll work," Mack, the only Ordinary in the room, said. "Most of the surfaces in the room are non-reflective. Well, those in the camera's range anyway."

Max compressed her lips. If only she had stayed a little longer in that room, they would know who the shooter was.

Eva must have read her mind. "It's just as well that you're out by then. Or else he might have tried to hurt you," she said as she tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Max snorted in derision. "Gun or not, I think I can handle him."

"You were unarmed, Max," Jack pointed out gently, almost hesitantly. Then he ploughed on. "The odds are not good, even for a transgenic."

Max scowled but did not say anything. Had it been anyone else who had said that, she would have argued. But this was Jack, the quietest of all of them, and the last thing she wanted to do was to hurt his feelings.

"What are we going to do now? We were counting on being able to spy on the guy and now someone has gone and wasted him," Zane said, scratching his head this time. "What about the information on Max's pen drive?"

Jack pointed in the direction of another IT room. "Those guys are working on it now. We'll know if it's of any use to us in a couple of hours. All we know is that this is only part of the engineering drawings. We were counting on the surveillance to give us more leads."

"So which part do we have now?" Zane asked.

Jack replied, "Davies's expertise is mainly energy related, so I think he must have been hired to design the power source. I'm guessing we have the plans for that."

"Is that all?" Max exclaimed incredulously. "So we're nowhere near the whole weapon."

"Yeah, I'm afraid so," Eva said with a sigh. "The guy who's organising the contract knows what he's doing. He split the whole weapon into parts and contracted different people to design each part. It's quite likely that he's the only one who knows how to assemble it."

Max frowned. This was more complicated than she had thought. "Who is it?"

"We don't know. The guy went through a whole lot of middlemen before it even got to our contact. That's why Davies is so important," Eva explained. "We could have traced the stuff backwards."

"That's just great. It sounds like a dead end," Max remarked with a scowl.

Jack shook his head. "Not necessarily. We can go back in. There must be clues as to who this guy is."

Max groaned.

Zane yawned. 'Well, I'm going to catch some shut eye." Then, pausing mid-stretch, he asked, "Heard anything from the rest yet?"

Pressing a few buttons on the keyboard in front of Mack, Jack replied absently, "I heard from Zack earlier. Syl and Krit are still with him. They're working on finding some of the physicians who can help Brin. Not sure about Tinga and Jondy's location. They haven't reported back today. Seth has completed his mission and will be back in a couple of days." Then with quick glance at Max, Jack continued, "He asked for you. I told him you were out on mission."

Grinning impishly, Zane teased, "Aw, Seth misses Max. How sweet."

Shooting him a murderous glare, Max snapped, "Shut up."

The on and off thing between Seth and her had started about half a year ago, during one of her heats. Seth had been there and one thing led to another. She and Seth were never like siblings, but more like friends even back in Manticore. So it had not been too weird. But she had never felt comfortable talking about it to the rest of their siblings, and having Zane tease her about it was the last thing she wanted.

But Zane being Zane did not give up so easily. "Ah, I get it. So that's why you're so cranky. Suffering from a case of withdrawal, huh?"

"I thought you were going to sleep. Better move soon, those wrinkles are showing," Max said nastily.

Zane glared at her. "I'll-"

"Leave her alone, Zane," Eva ordered in an attempt to prevent a brawl.

Zane ceased his verbal teasing but waggled his eyebrows at Max.

In turn, Max rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, grow up, will you!"

At a nudge from Mack, Jack turned back to a refined version of the video recording. "Guys, this is the best we can get for now."

"Someone sure knows how to mess things up," Max grumbled as she watched the screen. The only visible part of the shooter was the back of his head and his shoulders as he turned to leave the room.

Then she frowned and peered closer at the screen.

Was it her imagination or was there something familiar about the shooter?

"He looks familiar," she said.

Jack gave her a questioning glance. "We still can't see his face, Max. What's familiar about him?"

"I don't know. I can't quite place it," Max said, irritated at herself for not remembering.

"The place was packed. It's not impossible that you might have seen him earlier in the night," Eva pointed out.

Max nodded. "Yeah, I guess." She was not convinced, though.

"Go get some rest," Eva advised gently, patting Max's shoulders.

As usual, Eva was being the mother hen, Max thought with amusement. Knowing that it was useless to tell Eva that she did not want to go back yet, Max resigned herself to do as she was told.

* * *

494 stood at attention in front of a very displeased Renfro.

"This is unacceptable, 494. The information on the weapons blueprint is incomplete. Explain yourself," she ordered.

His years of training made it possible for him to remain calm while he replied, "Ma'am, I have downloaded everything on the terminal as ordered. There was nothing to suggest to me at that time that the information was incomplete."

"And Samuel Davies?"

"Eliminated," he replied crisply.

Renfro's lips tightened into a thin, lipstick-covered line. "I see. Which means that we have no way of finding out where is the rest of the information."

494 held his tongue. What he really wanted to do was to ask where she got her information from. Surely her source should have told her what to expect. As for the assassination, that was part of his orders, which incidentally, had been signed by Renfro herself. What did she expect him to do? Ask Davies if any information was missing from his drive before killing him?

Now, she was looking at him as if that would provide any answers to their problem. 494 resisted the urge to return her glance, instead, he kept his eyes focussed at an invisible point two metres in front of him.

"The mansion has been cordoned off, I heard," she finally said.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. The police had arrived just after he left.

Renfro appeared to be deep in thought. Then she said, "You will return to the mansion. There must be some leads there."

494 agreed. "Yes, ma'am."

"You will need a partner on this one. Take X5-511 with you. I believe that he's your regular mission partner? Good. You will leave tomorrow morning."

After a few more 'yes's, 494 snapped a smart salute to Renfro and finally left the room.

Closing the door behind him, he allowed himself to exhale freely.

Rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully, he started to make his way to the mess hall. So, he was going back in tomorrow with 511. It annoyed him that it was necessary for them to return. After all, he prided himself on the success of his missions.

But he knew that this one went sideways through no fault of his. Even a transgenic like him could not tell that the weapons blueprint was incomplete without actually studying it. If anyone was to blame, it would be Renfro's sources.

What was the point of him thinking about it now? Hell, he could not care less about it. Renfro was the one making the decisions.

All he has to do was to follow orders.

Easy.

* * *

The sky was just turning dark when 494 and 511 were dropped off a couple of miles from the mansion. When they arrived at the building, the police had already left. They approached carefully, keeping in mind the fact that there should still be some security present in the place.

They were not particularly bothered normally. Security guards were not a problem if you were a transgenic. But they have been warned to keep a low profile.

In a flash, 494 made it from the perimeter wall to the nearest balcony. A agile leap later, he was two floors up, pulling himself over the ornate cast iron balcony railings.

494 crept stealthily along the narrow ledge, his feline reflexes helping him to keep his balance. Two storeys below, he could see a black shape streaking across the lawn to the security hut. Like him, 511 was dressed in snug-fitting black, long-sleeved turtleneck and black combat trousers to help them blend into the night. Both of them have backpacks strapped across their chests.

When he arrived at the window to Davies's study, he reached for the device in his left pocket.

"511, you got the perimeter alarms?" he spoke softly into his comms.

"Affirmative, 494. It was a piece of cake. The guards were asleep when I got here but I sprayed them anyway. Disabling the alarms? Way too easy. So the place's all yours now," 511 replied.

"Thanks, man," 494 said as he held the glasscutter to the window.

A minute later, the double glazed window panel has a new opening the size of 32-inch plasma screen television. 494 smiled in satisfaction. That should be big enough for him to jump through safely if things got heated up inside. Anyway, 511 has his back, so there should not be any unexpected surprises.

It was dark inside, but he did not have any problems seeing what was around him. The wall on his left was lined with a row of polished wood cabinets. The other wall was clear bar a large crooked painting on the wall. The computer terminal sat on a desk between the two walls.

494 sighed. It was going to take some time for him to find the information, especially since he had no specific target. The information was likely to be kept in some filing system in the cabinets and the computer terminal, he figured.

He started at one side of the room. Left to right, he decided. The panel slid open silently when he pulled at it, displaying papers filed in alphabetical order. He flipped through it rapidly, his eyes scanning for any information that might be relevant. What he needed was some leads as to where Manticore could find the rest of the blueprint.

Nothing, he thought as he pushed the cabinet shut and moved on to the next one. A couple of folders caught his attention and he put in his backpack. Manticore could go through it more thoroughly, he thought.

Just as he progressed to the next cabinet, he thought that he saw something out of place. Backtracking, he went back to the junction between the second and the third cabinet. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. A small shiny black object about 5mm in diameter was stuck between the cabinets, next to a nail. It was very well hidden. Without his enhanced eyesight, he probably would not have spotted it.

Understanding too well the purpose of the object, he turned away from it quickly.

"511?" he called out, his voice very quiet.

"Yeah?"

"Can you see me on any of the surveillance monitors?" he asked, hoping for an affirmative answer from 511.

511 went silent for a while. Then he replied, "Negative, 494. No cameras in the room you're in. What's the problem?"

_Oh hell!_ "I think I found a bug," he said gravely.

"You think we've been compromised?"

"Almost certain. I need to move faster before whoever it is who planted this bug arrives. Keep a good watch around you."

"Copy that, 494."

494 went on to the third and thankfully, last cabinet. Stuffing another folder which looked as if it has potential for useful information, he then moved to the computer and switched it on. _Come on, come on_, he thought impatiently as he waited for the machine to boot up.

Once it was on, he went straight to the root directory and scanned it rapidly. Although he knew that it was unlikely, he just needed to confirm if there was something more in there that he had missed in the first round.

He was only halfway through when 511's voice came through his comms.

"494, we've got company."

Without looking up from the screen, 494 said, "How many?"

"I got visual on one. He's heading right to the house."

This was all he needed; complications. Renfro would rip him into pieces if he did not turn up with some useful information this time. Never mind that he had actually followed her orders to the letter the last time. "Can you stall him? I'm almost done," 494 said tightly.

"Affirmative, 494."

He went back to scanning the screen, scrolling through the directory as fast as he could. It seemed that he had managed to get most of the stuff last night. He frowned, wondering where else could it be kept. Perhaps it was in some hidden directory.

Realising that he would not have the time to crack any codes the computer might have, especially considering that he was being monitored by some unknown party, 494 made a decision.

Extracting a toolkit from the pocket next to his right thigh, he began to unscrew the back of the computer casing. A few moments later, he slid the hard-disk out of its compartment and dropped it into his back. Those techies back at Manticore could analyse it to their heart's content, he smirked.

Satisfied that he had taken all he could, 494 turned to leave.

A small sound behind him made him turn around abruptly, his body poised for a fight.

And then he froze.

His eyes rounded, unable to believe what his eyes were telling him.

The girl from the party, the one dressed in white and smelled like citrus and flowers had just walked out from what appeared to be a hidden opening behind the crooked painting. This time, she was not dressed in white. Like him, she was covered from head to toe in form-fitting black, an attire most suited for covert work. Her hair was down, curling softly around her face, making her look very young an innocent.

She was also staring at him, the incredulity on her face probably mirroring his own.

_What the hell was she doing here?_

The scent of citrus and flowers which had preceded him wherever he had gone last night at the party, the tiny black bugs and the sleeping guards began to make sense. There was no doubt in his mind that she was there on some covert business. And right now, she has a full backpack with her. It was likely that she was here for the same thing that he came for.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a hard voice, at the same time as she snapped, "Who are you?"

They glared at each other silently, neither of them willing to answer the questions.

He watched as she inched away from the painting, shutting it with a click behind her. 494's eyes narrowed. She obviously did not want him to gain access into the room. What was in there?

Her chin lifted as she watched him warily. "So it was you after all."

He frowned. "Me after all? What are you talking about?"

"You wasted Davies," she said coldly, her eyes not leaving him for a second as she continued to inch away from him.

494 stiffened at the accusation. "And it was you who planted the bugs," he said needlessly, gesturing around the room.

She rolled her eyes. "Smile, you're on candid camera," she said flatly.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Huh?" _What was she going on about?_

She let out a sigh. "Never mind," she muttered.

_Enough of the idle conversation._ "I'm asking you, who are you working for?" he asked, his tone threatening.

She raised her eyebrows, completely unfazed. "Or what?" she challenged.

He could not help but admire her guts, but then again, she did not know that he was a genetically engineered super-soldier. But if she did not tell him what he wanted to know soon, she might find out the hard way.

"I don't want to hurt you. So for the last time, who are you and what are you doing here?" he demanded to know.

To his irritation, she merely snorted dismissively. "Yeah, like I'm going to go around telling everyone the very last detail of myself. But hey, why don't you go first and then we'll see? Who know? I may feel generous enough to introduce myself."

"Oh, I though the saying is 'ladies first'?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, there's also this thing called equality. Or haven't you heard of it? And I'm not telling you anything."

"Fine, it's your call," he said just a fraction of a second before he lunged at her, intending just to pin her down. Then maybe she would talk.

To his surprise, she saw it coming and sidestepped the attack.

He turned to face her. _Not bad_, he thought.

They circled each other warily.

Her legs came up suddenly in an impossibly high roundhouse kick. 494 ducked, but her boots managed to graze the side of his head, its force making him stagger sideways. Two more spinning kicks in succession came towards him. He immediately lowered himself and returned with a kick of his own, sweeping her feet off the floor.

She fell and instantly rolled back up onto her feet, seemingly unaffected by the fall.

Alec frowned. _She's good. Very good,_ he reluctantly admitted. Whoever she was, she had been trained well.

494 heard her fist coming towards him before he saw it. He raised his hand just in time to block her punch. Lowering his hands quickly, he grabbed her arm before she could retract it and twisted it behind her, bringing her face to face with him. She gasped when he used the force of his body to push her down onto the desk.

"Enough?" he asked, his breath fanning the strands of dark hair which has fallen across her face.

"You wish!" she growled.

They were pressed tight against each other. 494 told himself to ignore the generous curves pressed against him and the subtle scent of citrus and flowers as it drifted up to him. Then he increased the twisting pressure around her arm, watching her wince in pain. "Give up?"

"Bite me!" shesnarled. Thenshe suddenly shifted back and slammed her body hard against his.

Caught by surprise, he fell to the floor. She could not have done that without dislocating her shoulders, he thought in puzzlement. And then he felt a small bump beneath him, just where he landed and quickly got up to look.

When he saw the red button on the floor next to the desk, he almost groaned. _Hell, a silent alarm_, he noted with a grimace. _There goes their low profile mission._

The girl had seen it too. Her eyes were wide as the implications sank in.

Both of them started to speak into their comms at the same time.

"Silent alarm tripped. Evacuate now," he said into his. He glanced quickly at the painting hiding the inaccessible room. He guessed that he would not have a chance to look in there now. Probably nothing left in there anyway. The girl had been in there for who knew how long and would have taken everything by now. His eyes went to her backpack and a thoughtful expression crossed his face.

"The idiot tripped the alarm. We've got to go," she said into hers.

He glowered at her. "Who're you calling an idiot? You're the one who pushed me onto the alarm, lady."

"Don't call me lady," she snapped irritably.

He smirked. "Yeah, I guess it's quite inappropriate."

"Oh, shut up! You've messed things up enough."

He gave her an incredulous look. "And I'm supposed to appreciate your interference?"

"I got here first, alright?" she pointed out. A smug expression flashed momentarily across her face. "You're too late."

His eyes went to her backpack and then quickly back to her face. Smirking, he asked softly, "Is that a challenge?"

"You can read it however you want." Then she walked to the window. Glancing over her shoulders, she said with a saccharine sweet smile, "Thanks for the exit, by the way."

He opened his mouth to retort, but she had already jumped out of the window.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Ha, now they know that there's a little bit more to each of them than just pretty faces. (Grins) Send me a review to let me know what you think of this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, people! Loved it as always.

For those of you who have read Breeding Partners Or Not, hopefully by now you've found it in your kind heart to forgive me for that ending (grins). Personally, I still think it was the right ending for that particular story. Anyway, my arms got twisted by some really persistent people out there…So much that I think it's dislocated now…But I've finally caved and decided to write a sequel.

Now back to this story…

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 4**

(by elle6778)

The second her feet landed on the grass, Max sprinted towards the east wall of the compound. Behind her, she heard a pair of boots land where she had been just a moment ago. Damn it, the guy was not about to let her go easily, she thought. She hated to admit it, but she was a little alarmed by his tenacity.

"Zane, where are you?" she hissed into her comms without slowing down her race towards the perimeter wall. She could not afford to be captured by whoever the guy was. But hell, her shoulder was killing her. Every time her feet hit the ground, she had to fight to keep from groaning at the jarring impact. She did not think that it was dislocated, but she definitely pulled something.

Zane's voice came over the comms. He sounded breathless. "Give me a second. This guy-" A loud thud and then Max heard him swear. She did not have to ask to know that he was fighting with the guy's partner.

"Forget it! We've got to go," she yelled impatiently, glancing quickly over her shoulders. Damn, he was gaining on her. To make things worse, she could hear sirens in the distance. The silent alarm must be linked to the police.

Zane spoke again. "Just a second. I-"

"No! NOW!" Max insisted sharply. "The police is heading this way!"

The footsteps behind her grew louder, telling her that he was gaining on her. Max sped up, at this point uncaring that the guy might find her speed strangely inhuman. He was awfully fast himself for an Ordinary.

The next thing she knew, she was thrown to the ground by a large impact against her back.

"Get off me, you jackass!" she snarled, struggling furiously against the pair of arms clamped tight around her.

He flipped her around to face him. "Not till you tell me who you're working for. And while you're at it, what's in that room behind the painting," he demanded roughly, his breath hot against her cheeks.

Max felt a prick of unease at their proximity. He was lying on top of her, their legs tangled together. His hazel eyes were boring into hers relentlessly.

"We have no time for this, dickhead! The police are arriving any moment now," she snapped. She had to find a way to escape his hold.

He shook her. "Then give me a name."

"Bite me," she gritted out through clenched teeth.

"I'm tempted to. Perhaps some other time," he replied, chuckling. He seemed to find the entire situation amusing.

"What's so funny?" she snarled.

He sobered up. "Nothing." Then abruptly, he shifted and flipped her around, pushing her face down against the ground.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" she protested indignantly as he yanked her backpack off her. _Damn it! He can't have that! I'm going to kill him!_

"What do you think I'm doing? Gathering information, of course," he replied in a matter-of-fact tone as he released her and stood up with her backpack in his hand.

She bounced to her feet immediately. "Oh, no, you don't," she warned, stepping towards him. "Go get your own information, dickhead."

He smirked and raised the bag triumphantly. "That's what I'm doing."

"I call that stealing," Max shot back.

"I call that smart," he retorted, raising her level of irritation.

"What? A common thief now, huh? Not capable of getting it yourself so you have to steal?"

"You challenged me, remember? I'm just proving to you and I'm not too late after all. See? The information is right in my hands now," he mocked.

Her eyes narrowed. "Okay, I guess I won't be playing nice then, smartass."

He glared at her. "Enough already with the name calling."

"You can always tell me. But whatever your name is, 'smartass' or 'dickhead' will always sound much better," she declared.

She rushed forwards, but he was prepared. Before she could score a hit, he sidestepped. She immediately changed her tactics and spun around in a back-kick. He caught her foot, but she was prepared for it. Her other foot came up high and nailed him on his left ribs. Her backpack flew out of his hand to land just a few feet away.

They fell down in a heap and instantly jumped back onto their feet. Both of them eyed the backpack, obviously deliberating whether or not to rush for it, but then turned back to continue their fight.

She could see the wariness in his eyes as they circled each other. A frown was beginning to make its way to her forehead. The guy was ridiculously good. It was just her stupid luck that she ended up fighting with a martial art expert. If she had not been a transgenic, she would have been flattened in seconds.

A sudden punch came at her. She twisted to the side immediately and tried to land a backhand. Her plan backfired as he grabbed her arm and smashed his elbow into the side of her face.

The sudden explosion of pain made her gasp involuntarily. Staggering back, Max touched her jaw gingerly, sure that it was going to leave an ugly bruise.

Much to her annoyance, he just smirked at her smugly.

"What's so funny?" she snarled, wishing that she could get near enough to wipe the smirk off his face with her boots.

He shook his head, smirk still intact. "You know, you can just walk away. I promise I won't tell your boss."

"And make it easy for you?" she said with a disbelieving snort. "Why the hell should I do that?"

"What? You want more damage?"

"You'll be feeling more pain than me at the end of this," she promised vehemently, deciding to go all out this time. The guy's attitude was really beginning to bug her.

He raised his eyebrows. In a taunting tone, he said, "Oh? Another challenge then?"

Max did not reply. Dashing forward, she aimed for his chest, knowing instinctively that he was either going to bend to cover himself or sidestep. Just when she was about to reach him, he moved out of the way, just to one side. Grinning inwardly, she launched herself off the ground and back-flipped.

In a split second, she had him on the ground with her booted foot firmly planted on his chest.

"Anything else you'd like to say, smartass?" she asked, noting the stunned expression on his face with satisfaction.

He continued to watch her thoughtfully for a while, making her feel more uncomfortable by the second. Oh hell, maybe she had overdone it. She could almost hear Zack now, telling her sternly, _'You've got to tone it down. We can't expose ourselves.'_ Damn!

Then he spoke. "Give me a hand up?" he asked with a smirk.

She took her foot off him and stepped back, scowling. "Are you actually trying hard, or are you naturally this annoying?"

He shrugged carelessly. "What can I say? I was born with many useful talents."

Max gritted her teeth. "Oh, shut up!"

A mock innocent expression came over his face. "What? You were the one who asked," he pointed out.

Max could not help it. She groaned and looked away.

That was her only mistake.

The next thing she knew, she was back on the ground with him straddling her.

Lowering his face such that it was just inches from hers, he said, "I guess this round goes to me."

She wanted to scream in frustration. This was the second time he had her pinned to the ground. "Get off me, damn it!" she snarled, glowering at him. "When I get up, I'll kick your ass so hard you won't be able to sit for weeks," she threatened, trying to buck him off to no avail.

"Tsk, tsk, you really have to watch that mouth," he admonished with a taunting smile. Then his smile evaporated. "Now, tell me who you work for."

She rolled her eyes. "The circus. That's where I learnt my moves," she replied with a bored expression. She needed to think of a way to get him off her.

His eyes hardened. "I guess I'll just have to bring you back with me then."

Unperturbed, she replied, "Oh? And how are you going to do that? Throw me over your shoulders and carry me all the way there?" Taking the opportunity to act while he was distracted trying to question her, Max shifted until her legs were free. He did not seem to notice.

"What makes you think it's so difficult?" he tossed back.

She raised a questioning brow. "Hmm?"

"I said, what-"

He did not get to finish his sentence. Instead, he jerked and rolled to his side, gasping in pain.

Max quickly scrambled to her knees and ran for her backpack. Strapping the backpack securely across her chest, she turned to present him with a grin. Now that was definitely satisfying, she thought.

From his position on the ground, he shot an accusing look at her. "You kneed me!" he yelled, his hands cupped protectively against his groin.

"Oh? Hazards of the job, I guess. Didn't your boss tell you when you signed the contract?" she said mercilessly. Still grinning, she went on, "Say, I'd love to stay and talk, but I'm kind of busy now. Got places to go and information to analyse."

He shot her murderous glare. "Don't worry too much about me. Just remember that I won't go easy on you next time."

"Next time?" she snorted. "No such chance."

Giving him a flippant wave, she sped to the wall and climbed over it.

When she landed on the other side, she found Zane already waiting for her by their bikes. He looked grumpy, unlike his usual jovial self.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Max?" he snapped at her as they got on their bikes. "You told me to get out of there and you stayed behind to flirt with the opposition. I heard everything."

Max rolled her eyes. "I was trying to distract him. He got me pinned down. And what about you? You were happy enough to stay and duke it out with his partner."

They started their bikes and roared off.

"Hmmph! That was different. The guy has got some skills. I was just trying to take him down," he justified to her impatiently.

"You're out of shape if you can't take on a simple Ordinary, Zane," she teased. She realised that if they guy's partner was anything like him, Zane must have had a hard time. This would explain his grouchiness. Zane did not like to lose.

"He was armed, alright! And I'm not even going to go into what started all this. You put yourself in danger, Max," Zane said over the wind in their faces.

"What are you going on about?" she pretended ignorance. She knew fully well what he meant.

"I saw them coming in and told you to stay put. I have it under control and I was coming to get you. But no! You've got to come out of that room and expose yourself," Zane pointed out.

Max scowled. "I wanted to know who they are."

"The bugs got that, Max," he said flatly.

She winced. "Can we drop the subject?" she muttered. She hated it when Zane got this way. In a way it was really sweet, but it was also irritating as hell sometimes. She guessed he was just worried about her, but honestly, did he really think that she could not take care of herself?

"I need to know that you're not going to do something stupid like that again," Zane said in an uncharacteristically hard tone.

Max did not say anything.

"Max, I need to hear it," he repeated, softer this time. "We're not just mission buddies, Max. We're family. I'm worried about you."

"Fine," she muttered grudgingly. "Won't do it again."

* * *

494 got to his feet gingerly just as 511 came into view.

"Are you alright? I heard what happened over our comms," 511 said with a small frown on his face.

"Never better," 494 said with a wince.

With a disapproving look, 511 went on, "You should have just pointed your gun at her. That'll stop her in a second."

494 shook his head. "What, and miss all the fun of hand-to-hand?" Yeah, why didn't he just take out his gun? That would have solved a lot of problems. He scowled. Too late for that now.

Hearing the advancing sound of sirens, 511 nodded to the rear wall. "We'll talk as we leave. We don't want to leave them a trail."

"She just won't tell me who they work for," 494 muttered irritably as they jogged towards the rear wall.

"Her partner, the guy I was fighting against? He's really good. Almost as good as us if not more," 511 said, his tone betraying his bewilderment.

"Yeah, the girl too," 494 replied with a puzzled frown. "I don't get it."

"Maybe they're Manticore as well. Maybe Renfro sent in a second team."

"I think we would have known if they are Manticore. The girl fought well, but her technique is completely different from what we were taught. And anyway, I don't remember seeing a barcode on her neck."

511 frowned. "Come to think of it, the guy didn't have one too."

"We need to report this to Renfro. She'd want to know that someone else is interested in Davies' work,"494 said, his voice betraying his reluctance.

Understanding 494's hesitation, 511 nodded slowly. "Yeah. I just don't know how we're going to explain their escape. Renfro's going to be raving mad. Probably send us both for re-evaluation just to make sure we're not degenerating or something," 511 said, a disgusted look on his face.

"Hell, I can't afford to piss Renfro off," 494 groaned.

511 gave him a worried look. "You know, they'll probably throw you back in psy-ops. Renfro probably will think that the same happened here as what happened in that mission last month."

494 frowned. 511 has a point. "Or maybe we'll just leave it out for now. We've got the files and the hard-drive, so maybe the information we need is already in there somewhere," he said thoughtfully.

A mock horror expression came across 511's face. "494, you're not suggesting that we keep this from Renfro?"

494 smirked at the look on his partner's face. "Remember Lola? Did you put _that_ in your report?"

511 grinned. "Good thing this is only a two way comms, or Manticore will fry our asses for this."

* * *

Max was turning off the tap over the white bathtub when she heard a knock on the apartment door. She glanced at her watch. It was 2am.

_Who could it be at this time of the night?_ She wondered as she walked out of the bathroom to bump into a sleep-tousled Zane in the living room. He was in the middle of zipping his jeans up with one hand. Max raised her eyebrows at the gun in his other hand.

"What? Better safe than sorry," Zane whispered defensively.

"It's probably just one of your girlfriends," Max hissed to him. She has told him over and over again not to bring his girls back to the flat they shared with Eva. Especially as some of them never seem to get the idea that he was not the long-lasting type.

He scowled. "It had better not be," he muttered as he made his way to the door, shoving his gun to the back of his jeans.

Max rolled her eyes and went to the kitchen. She needed an ice pack for that rapidly discolouring bruise on her jaw.

"Yeah?" she heard Zane yell through the door. She straightened from the freezer and listened intently.

"It's me," a familiar voice filtered through.

Both she and Zane let of the breath they did not realise they were holding.

Zane unlocked the door and yanked it open. He tilted his head in greeting as Seth stepped in. "Hey, man. How is it going? The mission went well?"

"No complications. It went fairly smoothly," Seth replied noncommittally as he took off his leather jacket to reveal a form fitting dark grey t-shirt and black jeans. "Is Max in?" he asked, running his hand over his cropped brownish blonde hair.

"I'm here," she said, walking out of the kitchen.

Zane let out a huge yawn. "Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow or something. Need to go back to bed now."

Max went up to Seth. They hugged briefly before she said, "Hey, nice to have you back. You're early. Jack said that you'll be back tomorrow."

He smiled at her. "The bike was faster than I'd expected," he said. Cupping her chin, he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers lightly.

Max could feel a tingling in her lips where he had touched her.

His intense bottle green eyes went to the bruise on her left jaw. Touching it softly with his fingertips, he asked, "What's this? Got into a fight on your new mission? Was that the one Jack was telling me about when I reported in?"

Max nodded.

"What's the spec?" he asked as he led her to the couch.

"At first it was sort of a retrieval and remote surveillance mission. I went in with Zane as guests in a party. Eva operated from base."

Seth raised a questioning brow. "Disguised?" he asked, surprised. When she nodded, he continued, "Eva had to drag you kicking and screaming to be all made up, I take it."

Max wrinkled her nose. "I won't say that I like it. But it didn't go so bad. Well, at least not until we returned."

"What happened?"

"Some fool shot the guy we wanted to spy on, and we had to go back in to get whatever leads we could from Davies's place. Our source told us about this hidden room in there, so I checked it out. Found some interesting stuff actually," Max explained, but decided not to tell him more about their mission rival. "That's the one we've just got back from."

"Well, since you're here and all, I guess it went alright. Anyway, that's the sort of thing you're used to. Breaking and Entering shouldn't be a problem for you," Seth declared as he dropped onto the couch.

Max frowned as she sat beside him. "You know, that's not the only thing I can do. The way you and Zane say it, it sounds like I do nothing but B&E."

Flinging an arm around her, he said with a grin. "But that's the only thing you'll happily do without complaining. I just don't understand why you can't do the job without whining about it first."

She gasped and straightened. "I don't whine!" she exclaimed, indignant.

"Fine. You don't," he said, his tone made it clear that he thought otherwise.

Max crossed her arms around her chest and slumped back onto the seat. "Anyway, how's your mission?" she asked, deciding that it was better to change the topic. She could never win an argument against Seth anyway. He never let her. He might just step back, but never actually let her win.

"There were no complications. Everything went as planned," he replied disinterestedly.

Max rolled her eyes. It was always like this when she asked him about his missions. "You said that before. I mean, what did you do this time?"

He sighed wearily. "Max, we've been through this. You know I can't talk about my missions."

"I still don't get it. Why are you always sent on these restricted-clearance missions? The rest of us could talk about ours," she grumbled. The curiosity was killing her, not knowing what he did. Sometimes, it even made her feel uncomfortable for some reason.

Seth shrugged. "The less people know, the smaller the chance of a leak. I guess that's why I always work solo."

"Not always," Max muttered. Occasionally, Seth went with some of them on missions, breaking his pattern of working alone. One of those times had been the time when she went into heat.

"And look what happened," he teased, obviously recalling the same thing.

"Oh? Are you complaining?" she demanded to know.

He gave her a look. One which told her very clearly what was on in his mind. "No. Are you?" he returned the question softly, his hand coming up to cup her chin.

Before she could reply, his lips descended on hers.

She guessed that her bath was going to have to wait.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Like it? Hate it? Your comments will be much appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Loved your comments as usual.

I've posted some pics of the cast on my website, but here's the direct links. Just remove the spaces.

www. geocities. com/elle6778/IRCastZaneSethTinga. htm

www. geocities. com/elle6778/IRCastEvaSyl. htm

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 5**

(by elle6778)

He should have told Renfro, 494 thought regretfully as he stepped into one of the empty briefing rooms where he was supposed to meet 511. The room was also the one of those which doubled up as their classroom when they were younger.

It was not as if he did not feel up to the job, but Renfro has gotten one of those Battle Processor units to plan out a strategy based on what he and 511 had laid out in their reports. And both of them have conveniently left out the fact that there was another party involved. With that sort of misinformation, who knew what the outcome might be? Definite not the one the Battle Processor unit has predicted, that was for sure.

494 had a really bad feeling about it and he had no doubt it has something to do with the girl. The girl whose name remained unknown, and her background even more obscure. All he could say was that whoever she was working for, they have trained her very well. And according to 511, it had been just as hard to take down her partner. They must be a part of some organisation Manticore did not know about.

When he had been knocked down by her back-flip, he could not help but feel a twinge of admiration at her skill. Not many Ordinaries could do that. 494 frowned in annoyance when he recalled what she had done after that to defeat him.

Aiming for his balls was completely unprofessional.

He took a deep breath and flipped open the mission brief that Renfro had given him just a few minutes ago. It was much thicker than the last one he had. They must have included more stuff in this one.

The folders and hard-drive he had picked up together with 511 on the last mission contained some useful information, but it had raised even more questions. They knew that Davies had been designing the energy source for a weapon. The blueprint in Manticore's hands did not even contain the finished blueprint for the energy source, let alone the complete weapon, which meant that either Davies really had not had time to complete his work, or that the information was somewhere else already.

He scanned the folder, skipping to the new section which was labelled 'Background', smirking when he saw it. So Manticore finally decided that he should know more about the mission background. It was amazing how they expected him to carry out his missions with so little information.

Davies had been one of Manticore's employee up to last year, when he suddenly resigned. Suspicious of his action, Manticore had put him under light surveillance, checking up on his actions occasionally. And then, one day Manticore had intercepted an untraceable call which alerted them to his latest project, some sort of weapon design.

Manticore had waited until it seemed like the design was complete before they sent him, 494, in.

494 put down the file when he finished it and leaned back against the chair.

He was going back in again.

And this time, it was no longer an in and out mission.

The door to the room opened with a creak and 511 peeked in.

"Hey, man, sorry I'm late. I had erm…some stuff to do," he said sheepishly as he stepped into the room.

494 smirked. "The 'stuff' you had to do, it didn't happen to have something to do with one 211, did it?" he teased.

511 gave him a disgusted look. "I swear you have ears and eyes everywhere," he grumbled.

"No, it's just too obvious, the way you guys make eyes at each other. Better make sure Renfro doesn't see it."

"What do you take me for? Of course I know that," 511 said defensively. Then with a sigh, he sat down. "So, what's the plan?"

494 picked up the file and tossed to across the table to 511. "You're back-up on this one. It's a long stint out this time."

"What's the mission?"

"The blueprint, as we know, is not complete. But based on what we have on the energy source, the Battle Processors worked out that the energy levels fit the description of weapons which can induce some sort of wave motion, or vibration. Then they tracked down all the active physicists and mechanical engineers in the area. They finally narrowed it down to this one guy."

"Who?"

494 pointed at the file in 511's hands. "Page 8. The guy's name is Anthony Mesher. He's a mechanical engineer specialising in acoustics and vibration. His behaviour has been a little off for just a normal engineer. And his bank account is also suspiciously well-fed, considering the economy these days."

511 looked up from the file with a frown. "You're going in to commission him to build something similar? Won't it look a little suspicious?"

494 shrugged. "The Battle Processors don't seem to think so. It's probably part of the plan to make him lead us to his boss."

"I see," 511 said thoughtfully, and then continued when he saw something on the file. "No comms just in case they decide to scan you."

"Yeah, that's why you'll be staying back as my invisible partner. I'll just feed you the info and you get it back to Manticore as soon as you can," he explained.

"Sounds easy enough."

494 rolled his eyes. "Don't speak so soon. We might encounter our new friends," he warned.

A light flashed in 511's eyes. "In that case, I can't wait."

494 laughed at the determined look on his partner's face.

* * *

"No," was the first word that came out of Max's mouth the second she digested Eva's words. There was no way she was going back into another undercover job. Worse still, this one was going to be a long-term mission. 

"Max," Eva said with a long-suffering sigh. "No one else is here to do it. Everyone else is out in the field and we can't afford to wait for them to get back. Those guys you encountered in your last mission would have probably figured out by now what's going on. We can't waste anymore time."

Max scowled at the three faces around the table. They were seated in one of the rooms which used to be some sort of laboratory store, but had since been converted into a meeting room. Eva, Zane and Jack were all looking at her, obviously waiting for her to agree to the mission. "Send Zane in this time," she said stubbornly.

Zane held his hands up. "Hey, I don't mind, but our target might not be so too happy. He likes pretty girls more than handsome men."

Max snorted.

"You're the logical choice, Max," Jack added softly. "And Zane have a point. Our target won't suspect you for a second."

The sound of a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Come in," Eva yelled out.

The door opened and Seth stepped in, giving Max an idea.

"How about Seth?" Max immediately said. "He's the expert on this kind of mission."

"What kind of mission?" Seth asked, looking puzzled. He leaned back against the metal door, watching them expectantly.

Eva explained the situation to Seth in a tired voice, making Max feel guilty for causing her elder sister the distress.

"Okay, I get it now," Seth said when Eva finished. "When are the rest coming back?" he asked Jack. "Jondy and Syl?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know when. All of them haven't finished their current jobs yet."

Seth straightened from the door and walked towards the table. When he reached Max's side, he stopped and leaned down.

"I think you have to go, Max," he said firmly, his tone making it clear that it was an order.

Max glowered at him. What? Just because they had something going on, it did not mean that he could order her about like this. "You're not running this mission, Seth," she said tightly.

Quirking an eyebrow at her, Seth replied calmly, "In that case, you should be listening to your Commanding Officer. Who happens to be Eva."

Max stiffened visibly at his words. Pushing her chair back, she stood up and faced Seth. "We're not in Manticore anymore, Seth," she gritted out. Out of the corner of her eyes, Max saw Eva exchange a pointed look with Zane and Jack.

"Guys, remember that file we're supposed to get?" Eva asked quickly.

Obviously understanding her meaning, the two of them pushed their chair back with an abnormally loud scraping sound and got up. Not too subtle, guys, Max thought.

"We'll be back in a while," Eva said, ushering Zane and Jack out in front of her. The door shut behind them with a soft click.

Max turned her attention back to Seth, still waiting for his reply.

"No, we're not in Manticore anymore. I can see that," Seth said levelly. "They broke us out ten years ago and now we're part of Unitech. Before you say it, yes, I know Unitech is not a military establishment, but there's still a hierarchy."

"There's no Commanding Officer here," Max pointed out.

"No, there are those who we call team leaders, though. There's still some sort of system in place, even if it's not written in stone. Syl, Krit, Brin and Tinga follow Zack. Jack has his own technical team here, forming a base with the Ordinaries. Jondy, Zane and _you_ are meant to follow Eva's lead. You know that, Max," he told her roughly.

Max lifted her chin defiantly, displaying that stubborn streak. "I've worked long enough with Eva to know that she's not like that. And this still doesn't mean that you can order me around."

With a bite of impatience in his voice, Seth snapped, "I'm not ordering you around, Max. But there's a mission to be carried out and you just can't be choosy like this. It's a job. It's the thing which pays for, amongst other things, Krit's flash car, Jack's new surround system, Jondy's ridiculously expensive clothes, your Ninja and the apartment you live in. You need to get your perspective right."

Max fell silent. This was not the first time she and Seth got into a row about missions. She and Seth never quite saw eye to eye when it came to these sorts of things. He was extremely focussed and single-minded when it was about work, unlike most of them. She guessed that was why Unitech trusted him with their confidential jobs.

Yeah, she knew that they have the life they have right now because Unitech was more than generous with their cash. But what else did one expect from an underground organisation specialising in weapons trading with a respectable IT front? Unitech was hardly broke. And yes, their life was a lot better ever since Unitech broke them out of Manticore, but that was not the issue.

The issue was how Seth spoke to her.

Max was not even sure what exactly Seth's problem was. All of them, Eva included, knew that she would eventually give in. But that did not mean that she would go quietly and meekly when it was something she did not like.

When she spoke, her voice was taut. "Look, I get why you're saying all this. But Eva and I have worked for _years_ together, and we manage ourselves fine."

Seth looked as if he wanted to say something, but then he appeared to change his mind. Exhaling loudly, he laid his hands on her shoulders, staring deep into her eyes. "Okay, Max. I don't want to get into a fight with you about this. It's has nothing to do with me anyway. So let's just forget it," he said in a placating tone.

Max bit her lips. She was torn between wanting to continue their argument or to just accept the truce he offered. It always ended this way with him. Like he was too tired to reason with a fractious child. It really bugged her. Arguing with Zane or the other was much more satisfying.

And it was not really true when he said that it had nothing to do with him. Up to a point, it did. Because of Seth's particular standing with Unitech, he was normally the one sent to smooth things over when things got rough. So if for some reason this mission went wrong, Seth would be the one unofficially responsible for breaking it to Unitech. In that way, he _was_ involved.

"Max?" he said softly, his green eyes locking onto hers.

She sighed and finally nodded in resignation. "Fine."

He broke into a smile. Tilting her chin up with his fingertip, he caught her lips in a soft kiss. Just as she thought that he was going to deepen the kiss, he pulled back.

At her questioning look, he nudged pointedly towards the door and released her. Loudly, he said, "You guys can come in now."

The door immediately opened and in walked Zane with Jack and Eva close behind.

Zane looked at his watch. "Wow. That only took ten minutes. Last time you guys were at it for more than fifteen," he teased with a grin.

Max rolled her eyes. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Not really. Just waiting for you to grudgingly say yes to the mission. Like always," Zane said, waggling his brows.

Eva, who had been quiet until then, said with a smile, "So what do you say?"

Max groaned. "Why bother asking if you all already know the answer?"

The rest of them broke into laughter.

* * *

He was all suited up again and he hated it, 494 thought in distaste, running his fingers between his neck and the stiff collar as he sat waiting on a stiff leather couch. 

The lobby to the firm where Mesher worked was small. But behind the reception desk, the clear glass panels separating the lobby from the design office allowed 494 to watch the occupants. Many of them were dressed in the traditional work attire of shirt, tie and trousers. Most of them were bent over their desks, probably working intently on some mechanical plans.

The clock ticked past another minute, bringing the time to 10:08am. Mesher was late, 494 thought, feeling a little annoyed. Their meeting was supposed to be at 10:00am sharp.

It was not the only reason he was feeling anxious. This mission had not gone well even from the beginning, and the last thing he wanted was for more things to go wrong. For the eleventh time in so many minutes, he has this urge to look around, just to check the area which he had already scoped out about ten times over, trying to catch a flash of wavy dark hair framing caramel skin.

And it was all her fault.

Twice now, she had turned up in the same place as he did. Or rather, he had turned up where she had been. So, it made perfect sense that he should feel extra wary seeing that she was nowhere in sight at the moment.

Where could she be hiding this time? What was she planning?

Unless the info he got was completely wrong and the right one was in her backpack. 494 ground his teeth together. If that was the case, he could not wait until the next time he saw her. He would happily drag her, kicking and screaming, back to Manticore with him and sic psy-ops on her until she spilled everything she knew.

And where the hell was Mesher? It was now 10:16am and he was still not there.

At moment, the glass door next to the reception swung open and out walked a tall, thin man with messy dark hair and sharp black eyes. He walked briskly to the couch.

"Mr McDowell?" he queried, extending a hand.

Nodding, 494 stood up and shook his hand. "That's right."

"I'm Anthony Mesher. Welcome to Mech Designs. I apologise for keeping you waiting, but I've been tied up on something else."

"It's not a problem," 494 replied with a cordial expression.

"Come, let's get you inside and we'll talk."

Mesher led 494 past the cluttered desks of his colleagues and ushered him through a door. 494 stepped into a small meeting room.

"Have a seat," Mesher gestured to an empty leather chair as he sat in the other chair.

When 494 had seated himself, Mesher continued, "So, what can Mech Designs do to help you?"

"I'm looking for a specialist design. Something bespoke. And I need you to keep it confidential."

Mesher beamed. "And that's what we do best. We deliver our clients designs which are unique to their requirements. No one else except us will know about it. Our confidentiality clause in the contract covers that. What would you like us to design for you? What's the specification?"

"What I want, I believe is still in the research phase. Only theoretical, but no working model has been produced successfully. At least not one which fully meets our requirements."

Mesher nodded for him to continue.

"Large scale models, about the size of this room have been built in the past. It is believed by some that a weapon, something which is as small as a handgun, can be produced."

Mesher leaned forward, his interest written clearly on his face. "How does this weapon work?"

"By waves. The weapon needs to be able to adjust the frequency of its output to complement the target's natural frequency," 494 explained, watching Mesher intently for his reaction.

Mesher leaned back with a frown, silent as he appeared to consider his prospective client's request. Then he asked, obviously trying to mask his wariness by a casual, disinterested expression. "I'm not sure I know of that sort of thing, Mr McDowell. Where did you get the information from?"

"I'm afraid that's confidential, Mr Mesher."

Nodding slowly, Mesher then said with a sigh, "Well, perhaps what you need is achievable. However, I'm unable to confirm whether or not it is at this moment."

494 raised his eyebrows. "I've been told that Mech Designs is the best place to commission this sort of work. But if you're saying what I think you're saying, I'll probably be better off looking somewhere else," he said as he stood up.

Mesher jumped to his feet. "Let's not be too hasty, Mr McDowell. All I said is that I cannot promise anything at the moment. But I can let you know soon."

"How soon?"

"A week."

494 shook his head. "No. That's too long. You're wasting my time, Mr Mesher," he proclaimed, an expression of annoyance entering his face.

"How about forty-eight hours? Give me at least that time to discuss the situation with my colleagues. Some of them may have an idea how to do this."

Pretending to think, 494 just looked at Mesher, as if he was weighing the other man's genuineness. Then, he said in a reluctant voice, "Fine. Forty-eight hours and not a second more." He took out a card from his pocket and handed it to Mesher. "Call me when you have an answer. Make it soon."

With that, 494 walked out of the room.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: I know, no MA interaction here, but I promise there'll be some in the next chapter. In the meantime, please review and let me know if you liked the direction this fic is going.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Loved all your reviews, you wonderful readers out there! Thank you so much! Here's the next instalment - a little longer than usual. Hope you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 6**

(by elle6778)

It had been agreed that for this mission, it was necessary for her to stay away from her own apartment, considering the undercover nature of her work. That way, in the unlikely event that she was exposed, none of the rest would be compromised.

Her new home was a far cry from the comfortable family apartment she shared with Zane and Eva. This one was much sparser, cold almost. There was only one bedroom which led out to an open-plan kitchen and living room. The bathroom, which thankfully came with a bathtub, was tucked in the corner between the kitchen and the bedroom.

The comms device that she had been using to contact the rest at the Unitech HQ was hidden under the sink, disguised as a garbage disposal unit. Zane had figured that it was highly unlikely that someone would go digging there.

The information she had gotten from the hidden room behind the painting included some encrypted correspondences between Davies and an individual. Jack and Mack had spent hours poring over the digital files before they finally cracked the encryption, giving Unitech more information on the mission. It looked as if Davies had been liaising with someone called Ivanov on his project, feeding him information on the design of the energy source for the new weapon.

Several more hours of digging through all sorts of databases and surveillance media had given them Ivanov's regular haunt, a club called the Crossroads. And that had been where Max had started her new job as a waitress three day ago.

At the moment, she was holding up the 'dress' that served as the uniform, studying it with distaste. It could be considered decent if not for the missing three buttons at the top and the skirt so short that she could not even bend down without flashing someone.

Well, it had served it purpose, catching Ivanov's attention on her second day of work. Her feminine instincts had told her that the Russian guy was definitely interested. True enough, yesterday, he had invited her for an after-work drink. Playing hard to get, she had declined. That, she hoped, would intensify his interest in her. She was relieved that at least he was not bad to look at.

Tossing the dress down onto the bed, she walked to the mirror and lifted her hair. The back of her neck was still clear.

Better to make sure, she thought as she reached into the drawer for a bottle half full of tiny capsules and a pressure syringe. The last time she did it was about three weeks ago, so it was a bit early.

Eva and Jack had worked on the formulae for a long time, but the results were definitely worth their efforts. Injected under the skin every month or so, the chemicals in the slow-release capsules changed the pigment of their barcode to match their skin colour. The barcode was still there, but just invisible.

Max slotted the capsule into the syringe and pressed it against the inside of her arm, just above her elbows. With the pinch of a syringe, the capsule was inserted beneath her skin with a soft hiss.

Now that that was done, she had better get ready for work.

Sighing in resignation, she changed into the dress and prepared herself for the fourth night of the mission.

* * *

Decked in casual jeans and a dark blue v-necked jumper, 494 stepped out of the luxury penthouse apartment that served as his temporary home, part of the disguise Manticore had set up to complement his background. Anyone who decided to run a check on him would find that he was a rich businessman with a too good to be true squeaky-clean record. Then if they bothered to dig further, they would find clues on questionable dealings which led to nowhere. That should be enough to verify his identity when Mesher checked up on him. And 494 was sure that Mesher had done so. 

He lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck. The lab at Manticore had temporarily removed his barcode by laser. Although it was no longer there, he could not help but feel exposed. Manticore could have picked a better place to put it, considering their intention to send their soldiers out for everyone to see.

A glance at his watch told him that it was 2035hours, twenty-five minutes before he had to meet Mesher at his office. That was more than sufficient time for him to drive there in his new car.

As he walked to the basement carpark, 494 grinned, recalling the conversation he had with 511. 511 had grumbled extensively about his secondary role in the mission when he had seen the car, a silver 2015 Chevy Corvette Z32 racecar. Sometimes it was nice to work for someone who have unlimited resources, 494 thought as he got into the car. The car purred powerfully when he started the engine.

It took him exactly twenty minutes to reach Mech Designs, arriving five minutes earlier than their designated meeting time. But Mesher was already at the front entrance, waiting for him, when he pulled up. And like 494, Mesher was dressed casually.

"Mr McDowell," he greeted with a nod. His eyes travelled to the car, studying it with undisguised interest. "Nice wheels you've got there. Business must be doing well," he remarked, the envy in his voice unmistakeable.

494 got out of the car, slamming the door shut carelessly behind him. Ignoring Mesher's comment, he went straight to the point. "This seems a little late in the day to carry out a business arrangement. Have you made a decision yet, Mr Mesher?"

Mesher did not reply to his question. Instead, he said, "We'll be meeting a close acquaintance of mine. I think you might be interested to hear what he has to say."

494 frowned, his eyes expressing his disapproval. "I though we agreed that this project would remain confidential," he said in a dangerous voice.

Mesher hurried to say, "Yes, yes, I understand. This man is trustworthy, I give you my word."

494 regarded Mesher distrustfully, intentionally making him feel uncomfortable. And then he said, "We'll see. Well, where's the meet?"

Visibly relaxing, Mesher said, "I'll show you the place."

494 nodded and got back into his car while Mesher went to his own.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived outside a club. The queue to enter was long, but Mesher just led him to a separate VIP entrance. A brief conference between Mesher and the bouncer later, they were granted access. Nodding to the bouncer, 494 walked through the security scanner, glad that he did not have anything on him that might set it off. The Battle Processors obviously had factored that in when they worked up the mission specs.

Loud music blasted into his face as 494 walked in. Nice, he thought as he surveyed the dimly lighted place with its red walls and its gleaming wood and stainless steel furniture. The place was not as packed as he thought it would be, considering the queue outside. Probably because entry was granted only to certain exclusive guests.

"Follow me," Mesher yelled over the loud din as he gestured to the far end of the room.

494 nodded.

When the table at the far end came into view, 494 caught a glimpse of a flash of wavy dark hair. He tensed. Was it really her this time or his mind was still playing tricks on him? 494 gritted his teeth. He was being overly paranoid. She was not here, and she had not been at Mesher's office either, so he should just stop obsessing. It was getting out of hand.

However, he could not help but search the area again as he got closer, but there was still no sign of her. All 494 could see in front of him was a dark-haired man dressed in white, lounging on the couch as he waited expectantly for Mesher to approach. The man's tanned complexion suggested that he was one of these rich people who could afford to spend the colder months in a tropical country.

"Anthony. Come, come. Sit down. And your friend too," the man said in heavily accented words, not moving an inch from his seat.

Smiling at the man, Mesher gestured to 494. "This is the businessman we spoke about. Alex McDowell." Then he turned to 494. "Mr McDowell, this is Andrei Ivanov."

Ivanov got up and extended a hand. 494 shook it with a nod. "Mr Ivanov."

"Please. Andrei will do," Ivanov said smoothly.

"Alex, then," 494 returned the gesture. His quick assessment of Ivanov told him that this was not a man who could be deceived easily. He had to work harder on this one.

When they have all seated themselves, Ivanov spoke, "So, Anthony told me you're interested in having some work done. Correct?"

494 glanced at Mesher enquiringly, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes. I told Andrei about your requirements," Mesher confirmed, his nervous eyes shifting back and forth between 494 and Ivanov. It was clear that he was only a small fish in this pond, 494 thought.

"I trust that you understand that confidentiality is important to me," he stated, looking pointedly at Ivanov and Mesher.

"Of course. That goes without saying. Now, I'm curious," Ivanov paused as he regarded 494 carefully. Then he continued, "Why do you need such an item, if I may ask?"

494 smirked. "I wasn't aware that I need to explain my reasons. I can afford to pay for it, if it worries you."

Ivanov leaned forwards. "Yes, we know of your resources." Then he leaned back, a smile on his lips. "I'm being ungracious. I forgot to offer you a drink. What would you like?"

"Scotch will do," 494 said. He might as well get a free drink out of this, though he had to keep his eyes open to make sure that Ivanov did not drop something into it.

Ivanov waved to someone behind 494. "Ah, here's our lovely waitress," he said. "Isn't she just charming?"

494 turned to look at the object of Ivanov's attention.

When he caught sight of the waitress, he tensed.

A few feet in front of him, the girl also halted in her tracks. But she recovered admirably fast, he thought as she continued to make her way to their table with a smile on her face, her eyes only on Ivanov. 494 knew that she was avoiding his eyes on purpose.

But his own eyes could not help running over her attire. She was dressed in a tight button down black dress with a low-slung belt. The short dress exposed her long, shapely legs to everyone's view. But it was the top that had him shifting uncomfortably on his seat. The top few buttons were missing, baring her cleavage and announcing to everyone that she was not wearing a bra.

"Andrei, how are you today?" she said sweetly when she got to Ivanov.

"Much better after seeing you, my dear. Have a seat. So how's the boss?" Ivanov asked when she sat down beside him.

Since 494 was sitting directly opposite her, he had no doubt that she would have flashed him if she had not crossed her legs the second she sat down. He was sure that no one else could discern it, but the girl had stiffened imperceptibly when Ivanov's arms went around her. 494 resisted the urge to smirk.

"Oh, he's not mad at me anymore. Thanks for your help," she said, her expression completely sincere. 494 wanted to roll his eyes, but instead, he kept a mildly interested expression fixed on his face.

Shifting slightly, Ivanov leaned closer to 494, raising his voice to be heard over the loud music. "This charming young lady got into trouble with her boss when she accidentally dropped an entire tray of drinks a couple of nights back," he said with a laugh.

"Charming," 494 said with a straight face, fighting his laughter when he saw the warning look the girl had just flashed at him. "Does the _lady_ have a name?" he asked, recalling the last time when he had called her 'lady'.

"Max," she said through her fake smile, her reluctance obvious only to him and no one else.

494 wondered if it was her real name of was it just one she picked for the role she was playing. Whichever it was, it suited her. "Max," he said with a nod, a smile paying at the corner of his lips.

"And this is Alex," Ivanov said.

A confused expression came over her face, bringing her brows together. "Alec? As in smart-aleck?" she asked, looking as if she did not understand.

Ivanov and Mesher laughed, obviously amused by her misunderstanding.

494 gritted his teeth. There was no doubt in his mind that she had done that on purpose. Then he forced a smile out. "For you, sweetheart, you can call me anything you want."

She tilted her head to the side. "Okay… Alec," she said, her eyes flashing mischievously. "Nice to meet you."

Unaware of the undercurrents of the exchange, Ivanov tilted her chin towards him with his finger. "Now, can you get us some drinks? A bottle of scotch for 'Alec' and my special vodka? And a bucket of ice."

"Sure, Andrei," she said amiably, unfolding her legs and stood up. "I'll be back in a minute."

Mesher and Ivanov watched appreciatively as Max walked away. 494 had to admit that he, too, found it hard not to pay attention to the soft sway of her hips encased in the tight dress.

"Now, let's talk business, shall we?" Ivanov asked, his voice bringing Alec's attention back to the table.

"I want to be sure that this remains confidential, Andrei. I want an exclusivity clause on the contract," 494 stated.

Ivanov leaned forward. "My business dealings are always fair. You get what you paid for. If we can't sell the design anywhere else, we need to have a cut of what you earn. After all, it's our design."

"As in Mech Designs'?"

Ivanov shook his head, chuckling. "Mech Designs' resources are limited. We're talking bigger things now."

494 forced down the feeling of anticipation that was beginning to grow in him. He could practically smell how close he was getting. "Who?"

Ivanov's smile did not reach his eyes. He was obviously smarter than 494 had hoped. "You don't need to know for the moment. All you need is your weapon, and we can get it for you. We want a cut on the sales, is that agreed?"

His brow furrowed in thought, Alec did not reply. And then after a few moments, he enquired, "How much?"

Ivanov's eyes gleamed. "Fifty-fifty."

494 snorted. "You're out of your mind," he said derisively. Did Ivanov think that he was a pushover or what?

Right then, Max returned with their drinks, interrupting whatever Ivanov was about to say to his harsh words.

"Here," she said pleasantly, bending down to put the tray containing a bottle of scotch, vodka, a bucket of ice and a few glasses on the table. Straightening, she enquired politely, "Would you like me to pour?"

Ivanov nodded, smiling at her.

494 watched silently as she bent down again, this time to splash the liquor onto the ice-cubes in the glasses. He barely suppressed his smirk when he saw her expression change almost imperceptibly the second Ivanov laid his hands on her ass. _Looks like you got in too deep, Max,_ he thought in amusement.

Finished with the preparation of the drinks, she handed one out to Ivanov first, then to Mesher. Just as 494 thought that she was not going to give him one, she lifted the last glass off the table and walked towards him. Their eyes met, and the twinkle in them made him wary.

"Here you go, Alec," she said sweetly, handing him the glass.

Just a fraction of a second before he got it, the glass fell from her hand, splashing its entire content onto his lap. He jumped up in surprise, glowering at her. Slivers of ice and drops of scotch trickled down from the damp patch on his lap to the floor.

She gasped loudly, and right before his eyes, the satisfied gleam in her eyes turned to a distressed one. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she exclaimed loudly. Miserably, she went on, "Please, let me help you clean it up, Alec."

"NO!" the vehement refusal came out of 'Alec's mouth before he could stop it. Who knew what she was planning to do next? The bitch, he thought, trying to brush off the slivers of ice from his crotch. This was going to be one heck of an uncomfortable meeting with his wet jeans.

He looked up as Ivanov chuckled. The Russian man then said, "Oh, come on, 'Alec'. It's just a little bit of scotch and ice. Let her help you."

'Alec' tried, and then finally succeeded in wiping the murderous glower off his face. Turning a bland look to her, he said tightly, "Don't worry about it."

Max turned a pleading look to him. "I'm so sorry, Alec. It was an accident. I'm just so clumsy," she carried on dejectedly, wringing her hands.

_Damn, she was good_, he admitted to himself reluctantly. Too bad all he wanted to do was to wring her neck. Forcing a smile on his face, he said, "Really, it's okay. It'll dry soon enough."

"I'll help you," she offered, holding up a wad of napkin in her hands.

"No, really, I'm fine," he insisted again. There was no way he would let her come anywhere near that part of his anatomy again. Once was painful enough. Who knew what she planned to inflict on him next?

Ivanov let out an exasperated sigh. "Just let her help, will you? She feels guilty enough," he remarked impatiently.

Not wanting to appear too uncooperative, 494 resigned himself to the inevitable. "Alright. Alright. You can clean it up," he said, managing to dampen the reluctance in his voice.

A smile lit up her face as she inched closer to him. As Ivanov and Mesher was sitting behind her, he was the only one who could see the devious gleam in her eyes. All he wanted to do was to back away, as far as he could, but he stayed put. And gritted his teeth in preparation for whatever assault she had in mind.

Ivanov's voice interrupted his thoughts. "We'll be back in ten minutes. I have something to discuss with Anthony in regards to our arrangement," the guy said as he stood up.

494 nodded, his eyes not leaving the girl who have now gone down on her knees in front of him. She dumped a handful of dry napkins on his lap. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the two other men walk away.

Once he was sure that they could not be heard, he grabbed her wrist, stilling the hand that was about to reach towards his lap. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

She grinned and raised her eyebrows. All traces of the meek waitress was gone, and in its place, the girl who had kicked him in his balls resurfaced. Miss Sweetness had just morphed into Miss Infuriating Bitch. "Just doing some cleaning up?" she said, arching a brow.

"You spilled it on purpose," he accused, his eyes flashing with irritation.

"I thought you needed to cool down, that's all. It's quite hot in here," she said brightly as she fanned herself.

He glowered at her. "Cut the crap, Max. Hell, I'm not even sure if 'Max's really your name."

"What makes you think I'll tell you, 'Alec'? Hmm, I like that name. It really suits you," she proclaimed thoughtfully.

'Alec' smirked. "By all means, feel free to call me Alec if you like. It doesn't bother me."

She proceeded to scrub his jeans with the napkins, leaving bits of white fluff on the dark blue material, much to his annoyance. "Alex's not your name, is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you take me for?" he retorted. What did she expect? Introduce himself as 494? He looked down to find the small hands on his lap scrubbing vigorously. More bits of white fluff lodged itself on the surface of his jeans, he noted as he gritted his teeth.

Max shrugged, her eyes remaining on his thighs. "Who knows?"

"I take it that you're here for the same reason as I am," he remarked, his eyes travelling from the hand on his jeans to the body it was attached to. As she moved, the black material of her dress gaped, allowing him a better view of the curve of her breasts.

He quickly tore his eyes away, fixing his gaze to the top of her head.

"Oh? Actually, this is my day job. A girl's gotta earn her cash, you know?"

"Right," he replied, barely hearing what she was saying. Any red-blooded man would be hard-pressed to ignore the combination of the tantalising sight in front of him and the movements she was making on his lap. And it had obviously been too long since he last had a sexual encounter, because there was no way he would go for _this_ infuriating female.

_The mission, 494. The mission_, he reminded himself sternly. "So tell me, what's the deal with Ivanov?"

She gave him a smile which reminded him of a shark. "Now why would I tell you?"

He adopted a wounded look. "Sharing is supposed to be good, don't you know?"

She rolled her eyes. "I've never claimed to be good," she said, slapping a wad of damp napkins on his thighs.

He jumped at the impact. "Hey, watch it! I've got valuables in there!"

She sniggered. "Yeah, right," and immediately proceeded to dig her thumb into the inside of his thighs. Hard.

Jerking up in pain, he hissed, "If you're so desperate to grope someone, you can always ask nicely. It'll scar me for life, but I'll try to accommodate."

She sneered. "Get over yourself. Groping you is very far from my mind."

"That's not what it looks like from here," he pointed out with a smirk.

"I'm just keeping up appearances," she said nonchalantly as she scrubbed even harder, the napkins practically disintegrating under the pressure.

"Your appearance is going to get rearranged in a second if you don't stop right now," he warned.

She batted her eyelashes at him. "What? You're going to risk pissing Ivanov off by bullying his nice sweet waitress?"

"Please. You? Sweet? Don't make me laugh," he scoffed.

She smiled through her teeth at him. "I would love to continue this senseless conversation with you, but Ivanov's heading back this way. So, unless you want to blow both our covers, I suggest you behave yourself."

Before he could reply, Ivanov's voice rang out behind him. "Everything okay?"

Max stood up, smoothing her short skirt down in front of Ivanov's appreciative eyes. "He's as good as new," she beamed.

"Yes, it's dry now," he said, careful to keep his expression neutral as he surveyed the state his jeans were in. Ruined was an understatement, he thought as he flicked off the white fluff his lap with a finger.

He looked up to find her looking at him with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

One day.

One day, he would pay her back.

With interest.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Yes, the MA action is back and there'll be more in the next chapter. Please review and let me know what you think of it so far. I'd love to hear (read!) your opinions.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter. I wonder how long it'll take for them to realise that they want to grab hold of each other for another reason other than to fight.

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 7**

(by elle6778)

The time was 0155hours when Max went back to the bar for the second bottle of scotch and vodka for Ivanov's table. The three of them had been at it for hours. Mesher was not faring too well, but the rest of the party did not seem to have the inclination to stop anytime soon. The club, which had officially closed almost an hour ago, was now deserted apart from the three of them, but Max guessed that the manager did not have the guts to throw out his most generous customer.

As soon as she had placed the order at the bar, she turned back to watch them. Mesher looked decidedly worse for wear, practically slumping onto the table, but Alec and Ivanov were still going strong.

She had heard everything they said, thanks to the small bug she had planted under their table. It was a good thing that she went undercover as a waitress. If she had been just a normal customer, she would have had to enter via the front entrance, which would mean that she had to go through the scanner to be swept for prohibited objects. She was sure that audio bugs were one of the things on that list of objects.

So far, the conversation had not been particularly useful in terms of her mission, she thought, a little disappointed. She had gathered that Alec would try to find out more from Ivanov, and was counting on being fed some information the easy way. But all they had been discussing was the allocation of profits which would come from the future sales of the weapons, but no information on the weapons itself. But at least she now knew what Alec's plan was.

From what she could see, the whole drinking thing was just a ploy for Ivanov to get more information from Alec, and vice versa. But neither of them was giving in from what she could see and hear. Ivanov had been pouring Alec his scotch more often than he was drinking. And Alec was just drinking. And drinking. He had finished an entire bottle of scotch all by himself.

Without any visible effect.

_Well, he can't be going on like that for much longer._ Max shook her head, a wry smile on her lips as the barman pushed a full bottle of scotch and Ivanov's 'special' vodka in front of her. She smirked, knowing that Ivanov's 'special' vodka was nothing more than a watered-down version of the real drink.

She leaned forward when the barman gestured for her to do so.

"Hey, what's going on there?" he asked, nudging in the direction to Ivanov's table.

Max shrugged. "I don't know. Must be a guy thing," she said disinterestedly as she laid the bottle on the tray.

The barman frowned. "I need to go in five minutes. Can you lock up?"

"Sure," she said casually. Inwardly, she was beaming. Some of those keys would allow her access into the control room, the one which housed the security closed-circuit television feed and hopefully an archive of the old videos.

Ensuring that her expression remained neutral, she pocketed the ring of keys and headed to the table with the tray in her hand.

Ivanov's smile had occasionally slipped and become more like a leer about an hour ago. And his hands had been getting friendlier too, much to her dismay. She guessed that the alcohol must have had some effect on him, watered-down or not.

Arriving at their table, she leaned down, taking the bottles off her tray and setting it down on the table.

"Max, come join us," Ivanov said, patting the empty seat beside him. On his other side, Max noted that Mesher was now down for the count. _Poor guy,_ she thought pitilessly. He must have been drinking Ivanov's share of the vodka.

She gave him an apologetic smile. "I can't. I need to clear up," she fabricated.

Ivanov was not so easily thwarted. "That can surely wait. We need the company of a beautiful lady here," Ivanov said insistently.

"Yeah, Max. Come join us," 'Alec' joined in.

She fought the urge to glare at him. From the knowing gleam in his eyes, he obviously knew why she did not want to stay. _The smartass!_ She wanted to tell the both of them to go to hell, but she knew that she could not afford to alienate Ivanov.

"Okay," she said with an inward sigh and sat in the empty spot Ivanov had pointed at earlier. His arms immediately went around her shoulders, pulling her closer. The urge to ram her elbows into his side was almost overwhelming. But she managed to keep her elbows safely tucked at her side, just barely.

"So, enjoying yourselves?" she asked brightly. Under the pretence of serving them their drinks, she moved forward, effectively freeing herself from Ivanov's grasp. After handing Ivanov his vodka, she leaned over to give Alec his scotch, noting the wariness in his eyes with glee. The guy was a fast learner.

Ivanov turned to Alec as he took the glass from her. "We're discussing some business. It's probably too boring to interest a pretty thing like you," the Russian man said, patting her knees.

Her eyes widened. "Oh? What business? Alec's working for you?" she asked innocently.

"No, I'm not working for him," Alec denied. "I operate my own business."

Ivanov laughed. "But we might be working together soon," he said meaningfully, taking a sip from his glass. "To new partnerships," Ivanov toasted.

"Not so fast, Andrei. We still need to iron out the finite details. Make sure that we understand our commitments," Alec added smoothly just before he downed his glass of scotch.

"What sort of details? Oh, this is so interesting. I wish I can do business like the two of you," Max proclaimed, pouring them another drink, thinking that at the rate they were going, it would not take long before they needed a third bottle of each of the drinks.

"Of course you can, my dear. It's just like playing cards, it involves strategy and money," Ivanov said, obviously humouring her. He raised a questioning brow at Alec. "Don't you think so?"

Then Alec spoke. "Hmm, I'm not sure about that. I think she's better off keeping clear of this sort of things. It's not easy, and it can be stressful and often very risky," his tone was condescending.

Max's lips tightened. She was sure that he had deliberately said it that way just to rile her. Ivanov probably did not get it, but she could not fail to miss the meaning behind Alec's words. Was he trying to say that she could not do her job? _As if!_

"Now what makes you think that I can't handle it?" she asked, careful to keep the challenging tone from her voice. The last thing she wanted was for Ivanov to suspect her of being someone other than an innocent waitress.

Alec shrugged carelessly. "It's not the kind of job suited for someone as young and inexperience as you. Business is a cutthroat industry. It requires a certain amount of, let's say, ruthlessness."

"Well, if it'll buy me a nice big house with a pool and a nice new wardrobe, I'm sure that I can learn," she said with a giggle.

Ivanov laughed. "If you want a nice big house with a pool, you're always welcomed to use mine."

She spun around to face him. "You've got a pool in your house?" she exclaimed, injecting just the correct amount of surprise and longing in her voice. In her peripheral view, she noted with satisfaction that Alec's eyes had narrowed almost imperceptibly. One more point to the home-girl; zero for the smart-ass, she grinned inwardly.

Ivanov smiled indulgently at her. "When are you off work next?"

"Tomorrow," she replied excitedly. This was happening sooner than she had hoped for. All she had to do now was to get home and report back to the rest.

"Good. You'll visit me tomorrow then," he stated, the gleam of anticipation in his eyes not missed by Max. "You have to give me your address so that I can pick you up."

She quickly said, "I need to be here to open up this place around noon. How about we meet here?"

"Noon it is, then." Turning to Alec, Ivanov continued, "Well, it looks like I'll be busy entertaining tomorrow. So, I'm going to call it a night."

Alec nodded. "What about him?" he asked, directing his gaze at Mesher.

Ivanov turned and shook the unconscious man roughly.

Mesher sputtered incoherently as he blinked his eyes open. "Wh-What?" he gasped, pulling himself up into a sitting position. "We're leaving?"

"It's nice to know that our company is so riveting, Anthony," Ivanov remarked sarcastically.

Mesher straightened. "I apologise." Standing up on wobbly knees, he extended a hand out to Alec. "Well, thanks for joining us."

"I think it's best for us to think carefully about this partnership. I'm sure we can work something out once we decide what we want," Ivanov said to Alec.

Standing up, Alec gave him an assessing look. "Before we go any further, I want to make it clear that the current terms are not acceptable. If that's what you're aiming for, then we should just part ways while we're still ahead. With mutual respect."

His tone was polite, but he had just made it clear that he would not take any shit from Ivanov, Max thought, reluctantly impressed by his confidence. Whoever he was working for, they were lucky to have him.

But that did not mean that she was going to let him win. The way she saw it, it was either him or her. The one who got to the weapon first was the winner.

And Max was going to make damn sure that she was the one holding the big shiny trophy at the end.

* * *

Alec waited impatiently in the shadows, wondering what was taking her so long. She had shut the door behind the three of them almost two hours ago. He had pretended to drive off with the rest of them, and then quickly doubled back, parking a small distance away from the club.

Two hours. Long enough for her to dig around the club for clues, he concluded sourly as he continued to watch the staff entrance. He played with the idea of breaking in, and the almost instantly, discarded the idea. It was too soon to take the risk of blowing his cover.

Maybe she had left via some other exit. Maybe she had suspected that he would do exactly what he was doing now. He scowled. It drove him mad that she had managed to evade him and to get the best of him on more than one occasion. Yeah, he had been holding back a little, just enough to avoid suspicion, but she still should not be able to get past him.

Just as he was about to conclude that she really had managed to evade him this time, the rear exit door, not the staff exit, creaked open.

Max walked out, quickly closing the door behind her.

Alec moved fluidly further back into the shadows, holding his breath automatically. When he realised what he was doing, he made himself breath normally. There was no chance of her hearing him _breathe_ from that distance. She was good. But not _that_ good.

She began to make her way out onto the streets, gathering her knee-length black jacket closer to her. It looked as if she was planning to head home on foot. Well, that made things a little easier for him. Now he did not have to worry about keeping his car out of sight.

He waited until she was about 300 feet away from him before he moved out from his hiding place. Keeping close to the buildings lining the streets and ensuring that he was hidden in the shadows, he trailed her for close to forty minutes, turning into hidden alleyways and past all sorts of obstacles. Alec grinned. This was obviously a routine to make sure that she was not followed.

Too bad she did not know about his superior tracking abilities, he thought with a smirk.

Finally, she slowed down and turned towards a building. Then she let herself in.

Staying put, Alec just waited, his eyes glued to the building. Halfway up the building, the light on the second floor flickered on. The corner of his lips tilted, and then stretched to a full-blown smile.

_I got you now, Max,_ he thought smugly.

_Payback time._

* * *

Her senses told her that she was being watched. She had been checking the route she had been using, frequently glancing at the display windows on the surrounding building, using it as a mirror. Not that it was particularly effective considering all the dust over the windows, but that was her best shot.

But she could not see anything out of the ordinary behind her. Everything seemed in place. She should know, after all she had scoped out the area extensively before starting her mission.

She bent down under the pretence of scraping something off her heel and surreptitiously glanced around her. Still nothing. She just could not shake away that feeling of being watched. And there was only one person she could think of who would want to tail her.

Alec.

She scowled. The guy was rapidly becoming a pain in her ass. She could not take that risk of being found out, even if the apartment was not really her home.

Well, she had no choice but to put her back-up plan in motion.

It took a while for her to do the detours, definitely longer than she would have taken to get home normally, but it was necessary. The last thing she wanted was for Alec to turn up unannounced at the apartment. With all guns blazing of course. Her lips twitched. She had seen the look in his eyes, and she was pretty sure that given a chance, he would try to get back at her.

When she finally got back to her apartment, she stepped in and immediately tensed.

Someone was in her apartment. She could see a shadow cast along the floor next to the couch.

_Damn it, how did Alec get here before she did?_

Just as she was about to back out of the door, a voice called out, "Max?"

Max closed her eyes briefly and exhaled the breath she was holding. "Zack, what are you doing here?" she asked, a little annoyed at him for putting her through that two seconds of anxiety. Turning to her left, she slapped her hand onto a switch, lighting up the room.

He stood up and walked towards her. "This is definitely not the welcome I'd expected," he said wryly.

She frowned as a thought occurred to her. "Did Zane or Seth send you here?" she asked, laying her hand on one hip.

A look of confusion came across Zack's face. "Zane or Seth? Huh? No, they didn't. Jack was the one who told me where you are. I haven't seen you for a while."

She relaxed. "Oh, it's okay, then," she said, sinking back onto the couch. At least Zane and Seth did not send Zack here to watch over her. It would have been the last straw.

Zack gave her a curious look. "Why did you ask?"

"Nothing," she muttered evasively, looking away.

"You can tell me, Max," he coaxed, sitting beside her. His blue eyes searched hers, the sincerity in them softening her resolve.

She sighed. "This is going to sound stupid."

Zack raised his eyebrows and waited silently.

She leaned back against the back of the couch and tilted her head up, staring at the white ceiling. "I had…words…with Seth," she finally confessed.

"Hmmph."

At that unexpected exclamation, Max dropped her gaze back down to Zack. "What did that mean?" she asked, surprised.

Zack shook his head, a frown on his brow. "I knew this was going to happen sooner or later."

"What?" It was her turn to frown.

He sighed. "You and Seth. The whole thing about you two being together is causing problems for both of you."

'It got nothing to do with that," she protested. Seth was just being his usual self. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was together with him.

"Oh yeah, was he like this before the two of you hooked up?" Zack asked, raising an eyebrow.

Max fell silent. Then reluctantly, she admitted, "Okay, maybe it was different before. Just a little. But look at Zane and Jondy, and Syl and Krit."

"Zane and Jondy aren't together, Max," Zack pointed out impatiently. "They were smart enough to not confuse heat with something more. And Syl and Krit had gotten together long before anything physical happened."

Max groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I just don't know what's up with him," she muttered.

"What did he do?" Zack asked quietly.

She lifted her head and then turned to Zack. "He didn't do anything. He just says stuff, you know. The latest was that he practically _ordered_ me to listen to Eva. We got into a little fight about the fact that we're not in Manticore anymore, and he insisted I should still follow orders," she explained.

"Okay, maybe not orders. But you still need to follow some plan when you're on a mission," Zack said calmly.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, I know that. It wasn't so much what he said, but _how_ he said it that bugged me. Then when I finally agreed to do this mission, he asked if I needed help. He even offered to come with me. What? Did he think that I can't handle this by myself?"

"I take it that you told him to shove off, seeing that you're alone here now," Zack commented with a wry smile.

Max exhaled loudly. "It's not working out," she said wearily.

Zack's lips twitched. "I'm not going to say I told you so."

She glared at him. "You'd better not. Anyway, since you're here. I can save the trouble of going through the comms."

"You need to report something back to base?"

"Yeah. I'm going to the target's place tomorrow. I have a feeling that I might need back-up, just in case something goes wrong. Can you tell Zane to come out to the club tomorrow just before noon? I'll be there to meet the target at noon, and I need Zane to do back up. Invisibly."

Zack frowned. "There's a problem with that plan. Zane had gone with Eva to join Jondy and Tinga. Jondy needed some help. There have been some issues with Tinga."

"What issues?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Eva didn't explain fully," Zack replied. "She was rushing out when I got back. Jack told me that Tinga got into some sticky situation with someone she met on the mission. That was all he told me. Apparently Eva warned him to keep quiet about it until she finds out what's really happening."

"I hope she's alright."

Zack laid a hand on her shoulders. "She got Eva, Jondy and Zane with her. They'll be able to sort it out between them. Tomorrow, however, might be a problem."

"Zane's supposed to be my mission buddy, so who's doing back-up for me then?" she grumbled.

"You don't have many choices," he said.

For some reason his words sounded ominous to her. She was almost afraid to ask. "Yeah? Who's available?"

"Seth."

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Yep, that's it for now. Sorry I can't have MA all the way, I need to move on with the plot ;P. Please review to let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks for your reviews! Yep, Seth's going to be a bit of a problem in this chapter, and you'll see why.Oh, by the way, just to clarify things a little, cossomeone asked- Max knew she was being followed, and tried to lose the tail by slipping in and out all over the place, not realising that Alec's a good tracker. Hope you'll enjoy it!

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 8**

(by elle6778)

He returned in the late hours of the morning with his backpack full of the equipments 511 had dropped off in his car boot a couple of hours ago. If Max had intended to meet up Ivanov, and he was sure that she would not let the chance slip by, she needed to get out of her place sometime soon. That would give him the opportunity to get closer to her real identity and maybe even find out who she was working for.

Alec leaned against the fence, keeping his head low, as he continued to watch the apartment block across the road. A quick glance at his watch told him that it was already 1120 hours.

As if on cue, Max walked out a minute later, dressed casually in black jeans and a red long sleeved top, its cropped hem displacing to expose her smooth abdomen as she moved. Shutting the door behind her, she slung her small carry bag over her shoulders. Alec was positive that no one but a transgenic like him could have seen that she had subtly scoped out the area before she started to make her way down the street.

Alec toyed with the idea of following her. Letting her have the first stab at accessing Ivanov's home did not sit well with him. What if she found something important before him? It was more than obvious that she would not share the information with him.

But if he could still make it to Ivanov's place before she got there if he completed his survey of her home fast enough. His eyes followed her until she walked out of his sight. Then he instantly blurred to the building.

The lock on the entrance was laughably easy to pick. Alec smirked, thinking that someone like her would have at least stayed in a place with better security. He gained access in seconds.

Closing the door quietly behind him, he dashed up the stairs to the second floor. There were two doors in the hallway. From what he had gathered last night, her place should be the one on his left. Pulling out the lock-picking kit from his pocket, he started to work on the lock.

Ten minutes later, his brows knitted in concentration, he was still no closer to breaking the lock.

"Damn it," he hissed under his breath.

Dropping the kit on the floor, he rummaged through the bag, hoping that 511 had remembered to pack the scanner he had asked for. When he found what he needed, Alec held a black box about the size of a cell phone up against the lock.

The device beeped.

Alec grimaced when he read the description on the display panel. It appeared that in addition to the usual key, there was also an electronic locking mechanism hidden somewhere. So this was why she did not bother to secure the front entrance.

All he had to do now was to find the panel. Just what he needed.

Alec looked around, his sharp eyes scanning over every small object in the hallway until his eyes landed on a painting at one end of the hallway. He walked towards it, holding the scanner up. About six inches away from the painting, it started beeping.

Jackpot, he thought smugly, looking down at the display. Access keypad, he noted.

He shifted the painting to the side, exposing a rectangular panel with a series of digits in rows. Dipping his hands into his rucksack, he pulled out the universal decoder he had used in Davies' place. Pressing a small button to activate the scanning beam, he pointed it at the panel. A short while later, the device beeped and the door to Max's apartment swung open.

"Finally," he muttered darkly as he made his way to the door.

He was about to step in through the doorway when he suddenly halted in his tracks. Frowning suspiciously, he swept his eyes quickly over the room in front of him. Knowing Max, she would have probably booby-trapped the entire place before she left. Alec resisted the urge to groan. He glanced at his watch, noting that he would not have much time to conduct a thorough search if he aimed to be at Ivanov's in time to see what Max was up to. Perhaps this was not such a good idea. After all, his mission was to do with Ivanov, not Max.

_She's related to the mission,_ a small voice in his head told him needlessly.

Knowing that he did not have the time to deliberate, Alec made up his mind. Reaching into his rucksack, he pulled out a pair of goggles. He held it to his eyes and looked at the interior of the apartment through the lenses.

Nothing out of the ordinary, he decided, tucking the goggles back into the rucksack. But he could not brush away that slight twinge of unease in the pit of his stomach.

_Here goes nothing_, he thought as he took the first step and then paused, looking around warily. Still nothing.

Exhaling a breath of relief, he straightened and walked in quickly, shutting the door behind him.

The room he entered was the living room. The place was neat and tidy, almost clinical. Alec frowned. Somehow, he had the impression that the place would be less sterile. And then he shrugged. What did he know about her anyway?

He began to walk slowly around the living room, pointing the scanner in front of him. Nothing out of the ordinary turned up on the display. Pulling open the drawers under the television cabinet, he rummaged through a sparse collection of magazines, but found nothing important.

He looked around, spotting the kitchen to one corner and two more doors, guessing that one of the doors led to the bedroom. Knowing that he did not have much time, he decided that he should search the bedroom first.

When he stepped into the room, the first thing he noticed was the familiar scent of citrus and flowers, bringing back memories of the first time they had met. Thinking back, Alec wanted to smack himself for not suspecting a thing that night. He had even thought that she was attractive. Well, now that he knew what she was really like, he would rather swim with sharks.

The scanner remained silent as he swept it around the room. Opening her cupboard, he patted down her clothes, trying to not notice the stack of lacy lingerie at the bottom. It was just for her cover, he told himself. She probably wore men's boxers normally, considering the way she behaved, he thought, letting the image entertain him.

He yanked open a drawer. And then stilled when he saw what was lying inside.

Gingerly, he picked up a pressure syringe and studied it with narrowed eyes. This type of syringes was not easily attainable and was normally used for commercial purposes only. Why did she have one in her drawer? Looking back into the drawer, he spotted a small bottle, half full of pills.

He stared at them thoughtfully. Was she a junkie? Much as he liked to think that drugs were the reason for her maddening character, he was not sure it was true. The girl was too sharp.

Dropping the bottle, he looked closely at the syringe, turning it around.

A stamped serial number caught his eyes.

Smirking, he pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number.

511's voice reached Alec. "Yeah?" 511 greeted.

"What's the weather like over there?" he asked.

"Bright and sunny," 511 replied with a chuckle.

Alec grinned. It was a code they had come up with to tell each other if Manticore was listening in. And right now, he and 511 was all alone. Manticore still did not know about Max and her involvement in this mission and Alec was determined to keep it that way until he was sure that he would not get himself or 511 into trouble.

"I've got something here which might be useful. But keep it just between us."

"Okay, shoot."

Alec read out the serial numbers on the syringe. "Can you run this through the system and see what comes up?"

"Gotcha. I'll call you back when I get something."

As he hung up, Alec caught sight of the time. He was late. _Oh, hell. He would just have to continue his search some other day_, he thought, dashing out of the apartment.

* * *

Seth was already there, watching her approach when she walked up to the staff entrance. 

"Hey," Max greeted a little uncomfortably, her eyes not meeting his.

He gave her a smile and then bent down to brush his lips against her cheeks. Max suddenly had this urge to pull away.

He straightened and held her at arm's length. "You okay?" he asked, his eyes running over her face.

She nodded. "Yeah. Why shouldn't I be?" she replied, keeping her tone light.

For a moment, he just stared at her with an unreadable expression. And then he sighed and said, "Look, I'm sorry for that day, okay?"

"It's no big deal, Seth," she said quickly, not wanting to get into another discussion on that particular topic. "You're taking Zane's place today, right? So, Zack and I kind of thought of a plan."

The expression on his face told her that he knew that she was trying to change the topic and was not too pleased about it. But thankfully, he went along with her. "Zack briefed me this morning, and I got the stuff you wanted."

"Good. Ivanov's coming to pick me up in-" she paused, looking at her watch. "Fifteen minutes. If you just tail us on your bike, then make the call to Ivanov when I send the signal, then that should be it. I can handle the rest on my own. You got the bugs?"

Seth nodded and pulled out a small box from his pocket. Taking her smaller hand in his, he poured its contents onto her palm. "The larger ones are EM dischargers. These are targeted to security systems only. Nothing would be affected except things like surveillance cameras and alarms. The smaller ones are audio bugs, designed to work even when the EMs are active."

Max looked down at the small silver pellets. She did not recognise some of them. "Are these the new EMs? They've been tested?" she asked jokingly.

Seth frowned. "Of course they were tested. Unitech wouldn't make the same mistake again."

Max wanted to roll her eyes. It was a joke, for crying out loud. Of course she knew it had been tested. Unitech always made sure that their products functioned as it should nowadays.

Handing the bugs back to Seth, she said, "Okay. I'll get it from you before I go back in for the second phase. You need to go. Ivanov will be arriving any second now."

He grabbed her arm before she could move. "Max? Take care, okay."

She nodded. "I'll be fine. I'm a big girl."

Just as he disappeared out of sight, a black Mercedes pulled up in front of her. The tinted glass slid down slowly, revealing a smiling Ivanov.

"Ready?" he asked silkily.

She wanted to roll her eyes. Instead, she put on a giddy smile and gushed, "Of course. I'm all excited."

* * *

Parking his car at the foot of the hill, Alec dashed the last mile up towards Ivanov's mansion. Just before the entrance gate came into view, he moved to the opposite side of the road, taking cover behind some trees. 

He looked at his watch, silently berating himself as he did so. Too late. He guessed that she had been in for at least half an hour by now. Well, there was nothing much he could do now but wait and see if an opportunity to enter came up. It was a perfect time for him to break in while she was in there, seeing that Ivanov's attention would be completely focussed on her.

Leaning back against a tree, he made himself comfortable for the inevitable wait.

To his surprise, it was not long before the gate clanked open. Alec sat up, his muscles tensed in readiness.

He watched as Max walked out alongside Ivanov's black car. Ivanov leaned out to say something to her. And then they parted ways. She stood there watching until the car was no longer in sight.

Alec was about to come out of hiding when the deep rumbling sound of a bike reached his ears. He watched curiously as it pulled up beside Max. A tall man with short, cropped hair got off. Focussing on the man's face, Alec realised that this was a different man from the one he had seen in Davies' party. He frowned. Somehow, this one looked vaguely familiar to him, but Alec could not place where he had seen the guy.

Max did not look pleased to see him. He could not hear what was being said, but from her expression, she appeared to be telling him off. Alec almost felt sorry for the guy. Almost. No one deserved to be on the receiving end of that evil tongue.

Stealthily, he moved in the shadows of the trees towards them. He might be able to catch something useful. Carefully inching his way forwards, he moved until he make out some of their words.

All was progressing well until a twig snapped beneath his boots.

Alec froze.

So did Max and her partner.

"Did you hear that?" her partner asked, looking around warily.

"Yeah."

Alec held his breath.

They fanned out and scanned the area, miraculously missing the spot where he was hiding. When Max turned back to her partner, Alec released the breath he was holding. He leaned forwards, this time hearing them clearly.

"I told you to wait for my signal, Seth," Max said angrily, her hands landing on her hips. "What's so difficult about that?"

Her partner replied levelly, "I told you, Max. You've been compromised." Alec raised his eyebrows. So, Max was her real name after all.

She gave him an incredulous look. "And what you did just now did not compromise the mission?"

"Well, Ivanov's got to come out sooner or later, right? It was just a little sooner."

She threw her hands in the air, looking so exasperated that Alec had to bite his lips to contain his laughter. "I didn't have enough time to scope out the place. How am I supposed to go back in now? I don't know half of the security layout," she seethed.

"I'll go with you," the guy said decisively.

Even at that distance, Alec could see her bristle at her partner's words. "I don't need you to babysit me, Seth. I can handle this," she said tersely.

"I didn't say you can't…"

"Right." She rolled her eyes.

"Look, Max. It'll make things a little easier," Seth said firmly. His patronising tone made Alec frown. This definitely did not sound like the usual mission partnerships, he thought.

Max retorted, "I've done this MANY times without a partner, and I'm definitely not about to start now. Even _Zane_ stays back when he's supposed to be a backup."

The fact that this conversation had nothing to do with his mission seemed to have escaped him as Alec continued to listen intently.

"That's different. Listen, Max. I don't want to argue with you."

"Oh? Guess what? I'm not done yet!"

"Max…"

"I've had enough of you thinking that I need to be looked after and all. It was just that one time, Seth. I made a mistake that one time, just when you were there to see it. Before that, you didn't have a problem with my work. I'm the same person, Seth, before and after we hooked up…"

Alec raised his brows. So that was what it was all about. _Bad move, Max, going out with someone you work with_, he told her silently. He glanced at Seth, suddenly feeling inexplicably cold towards the other guy. Alec only had a few short interactions with her, but he could tell that she was good at what she was doing. Otherwise he would not even be here. He would have completed his mission long time ago without her as a rival.

"I've been doing fine without you holding my hand. You seem to have forgotten that," she finished quietly.

Her partner just stared at her. And then, finding his voice, he said flatly, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Max."

"But you're not sorry for what you said, right?" she remarked wearily. "That's it. I'm done with you." Holding out her hands, she demanded, "Give me the stuff."

"Max, come on…" Seth started.

She repeated in an uncompromising tone, "Hand it over, Seth. This is not _your_ mission. This is _my_ mission, _my_ call."

Alec watched as Seth stiffened. The guy was obviously not used to being ordered about, Alec thought. Just as it looked as if Max might inflict some grievous bodily harm on the guy who Alec suspected was now her _ex_-boyfriend, Seth exhaled a weary sigh and tossed something to her.

She caught it easily, tucking it into her pocket. Without another word, she spun around and walked away from him. Seth stared at her retreating back for a few moments before he climbed back onto his bike and roared off.

Once they were out of sight, Alec stood up, stretching his muscles._ Interesting_, he thought as he dashed across the road in Max's direction. Maybe she would get careless this time. After all, females were supposed to be affected by these sorts of things.

Stealthily, he continued to follow her tracks.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Promise you that the next chapter will be allMA to make up for the lack of it in this chapter and the last. Review?


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks for your reviews! Sorry it took me so long to get this up, been busy with the real world. The next chapter will hopefully be up a little faster. For those of you who are reading Together Or Not… Yes, I intend to update it sometime soon.

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 9**

(by elle6778)

Easily scaling the ten-foot wall, Max continued to brood over her encounter with Seth. A part of her told her that it was inevitable. The two of them were too incompatible as a couple, or even as working partners. She knew she did the right thing, considering how relieved she had felt when she had gotten everything off her chest.

But she still could not believe his nerve, Max thought irritably as she slinked along the walls until she reached the building. Talking to Seth was like talking to a brick wall. His mind was set in stone when it came to certain things.

Very much like the way Zack had been when they first came out. But after a few years outside, knowing that they were not completely alone, Zack had loosened up together with the rest of them. It had a lot to do with the way Unitech treated them. Unlike Manticore, who treated them like objects, Unitech treated them like highly prized employees. Unitech protected them, but also allowed them individuality. The way the teams were set up also alleviated the need for Zack to watch over each of them. Instead, the responsibility was shared out.

Max wondered if Seth's specialised missions were the reason for his behaviour. Maybe he knew something they did not. Maybe everything was not as pretty as it seemed. But none of them would know unless he decided to tell them.

Refocusing her attention back on the mission, as she approached a window, she activated an EM discharger and dropped it to disable the alarms. Prying the window open, she climbed in quickly. Dropping softly to her feet inside Ivanov's bedroom, she slid the window shut and went to the door. She pressed her ears against the wooden door, listening out for any signs that she had been spotted.

Nothing.

Activating another EM discharger, she opened the door and dashed across the hallway. Hoping that Seth was right in that the discharger would affect only security systems, she dropped the little pellet onto the floor just outside Ivanov's study. Taking out her lock-picking kit, she inserted the thin strips of metal into the key-hole and expertly twisted until she heard a click. Extracting her tools, she elbowed the door open and slid in.

Going straight to the computer terminal, she switched it on and inserted a small pen drive. As she waited for the information to download, she went to the nearest cupboard and opened it.

The sound of the door opening and shutting behind her made her freeze. Heart pounding, her entire body tense, she turned around slowly.

And saw Alec.

Closing her eyes in relief, she let out the breath she did not realise she was holding. Then, snapping her eyes to him, she snarled, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Smirking nonchalantly, he replied, "Now, is that the way to talk to your fellow intruder?"

Max glared at him. What Seth told her earlier came back to her. It was because of Alec's snooping that Seth had called her out. His snooping was the reason for the incomplete the mental map of the security system in her mind. The jackass! "You've been sniffing around in my place," she accused.

Widening his eyes innocently, he said, "What? Me?"

"Cut the crap, Alec. You were caught on the surveillance cams. What were you doing in there?" she asked, walking towards the computer to remove her pen drive, all the while keeping a wary eye on Alec.

Alec shrugged carelessly, completely unperturbed by her accusations. "Can't blame a guy for checking out the competition, right?"

She snorted. "I'd hardly consider you competition. Thief, maybe. Or someone who feeds off my scraps."

He held his hands to his chest. "That hurts, you know. I take offence at being called a thief. They are so… common."

"Well, if the hat fits…" she trailed off with a shrug.

Smirking, he said, "Say, I saw some nice threads in there. You know, that lacy stuff? And all those tiny dresses? Never thought that you're the type."

Eyes flashing, she scowled. "I'll have to burn them now that you've contaminated them."

He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, that might be a good idea. 'Cause I really don't want anyone to come to the wrong conclusions when they find my prints on your little strapless number."

Max narrowed her eyes when he shuddered exaggeratedly. Suddenly the urge to maim him was almost overwhelming.

Before she could decide on her next retort, a buzzing sound filled the air.

* * *

Alec was about to throw another insult at her when the cell phone in his pocket vibrated. It must be 511, he thought, deliberating whether or not to pick up the call. 

She gave him a saccharine sweet smile. "Your nanny checking up on you?"

He glared at her and pulled out the cell phone. Then, smirking at her, he presseda button and said, "Yeah?"

511's voice came over the earpiece. "Listen. The serial numbers you gave me? I found a match."

"Go on," he said carefully, keeping his eyes pinned on Max. The way she was watching him unnerved him. It was as if she was trying to hear the conversation. He decided to put a little distance between them. Just in case.

"That batch was shipped out to a corporation called Unitech," 511 said.

Alec frowned. The name did not mean anything to him. So Max worked for some company called Unitech. Big deal. "So?"

"According to the database, Unitech was suspected of causing the Pulse. Eventually the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence."

The _Pulse_? Surprised, his eyes shot to hers before he could stop it, and then he quickly looked away. "What do you mean?" he said in a lower voice.

"Strangely enough, there isn't that much info on Unitech in the database. Listen, 494. This is what I think. If the girl's working for Unitech, then we're not talking some small time mob here. They clean up well after themselves. That takes a lot of resources."

"Understood. Anything else?"

"Just watch your back."

"Always," Alec replied, and then hung up. He stared at the phone blankly, his mind processing the information 511 had just given him. The corporation which had been suspected of having a hand in causing the Pulse was now after another weapon, one which was also coveted by Manticore. And Max was working for that corporation. Confronting her about it was useless. He knew that she would admit to nothing.

His mind was whirring with the implications of what 511 had just told him, but he could not afford to let her suspect anything. Careful to keep his expression neutral, he turned back fully to face Max. "So, where were we?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You were about walk out of here quietly, leaving me to do my job _alone_. In peace. Failing that, you can just drop dead."

He gave her a curious look. "Are you always this nice to everyone? Or do I hold a special place in your heart?"

Her eyes flashed before she retorted. "Yeah, the bit where my heart's telling me to kick your ass."

Alec rolled his eyes. "My ass again. Yeah, I know it's pretty, but you obsession with it kind of worries me. A little unhealthy, I think."

She rose to the bait. "I'm NOT obsessed with your ass!" she snarled.

"Keep it down, Max. You don't want the guards to come running, do you?" he glanced around a little nervously. He hoped that all the stuff he had dropped was actually working. 511 had told him that those little things were designed to jam surveillance devices, but he did not know how well it worked.

Alec watched as she pulled out something from the computer terminal and slipped it into a slot in her watch. That must be the info she was here for, which meant that it was probably the same info he was after. Which made things a lot easier for him. All he had to do now was to get it from her.

She straightened stiffly, her lips pressed together, then rested her hands on her hips. "Alec. Are you here for something specific or just here to have a pointless verbal spar? Just in case you haven't noticed, I have things to do here."

He raised a mocking brow and smirked. "Yeah, hurry up, will you? I'm just waiting for you to get everything I need. Then you can just hand it over. Much simpler that way."

Her eyes widened. "Dream on," she snapped aggressively.

"I have better things to dream about," he said suggestively, purposely letting his eyes roam up and down her body. She was a fine piece alright. Too bad she was working for some terrorist organisation. Manticore would probably dispatch him to take them down one day. He mentally rubbed his hands together. That would be the day.

She gritted her teeth. "Keep me out of your sick fantasies," she hissed.

"Want to help me make them a reality?" he asked, waggling his brows. He knew he was pushing it, but he had to admit that her reaction was entertaining.

That proved to be too much for her.

He already half expected it, but the speed at which the small fist was flying towards him still caught him by surprise. A quick block deflected the hit but he barely saw the next one coming until it nailed him in the gut.

At the impact, his breath escaped him in a rush. Doubling over, he cursed himself for underestimating her. Again.

But this time, she was not going to get away so easily. He straightened to immediately launch himself at her. His body weight threw both of them against a wall.

He grabbed her wrists tight and pinned them over her head.

"Let me go!" she snarled, bucking against him.

The situation reminded him of the time he had first realised that she was not some sweet lady doing her rounds at a rich man's party. That day, he had her pinned to Davies's desk in a similar fashion. Just that this time, it was a wall and not a desk.

He grimaced as her struggles unintentionally made her hip rub against the sensitive portion of his anatomy. His earlier talk about fantasies and dreams came back to him, and a flash of desire coursed through him.

He immediately recoiled. No! This was wrong. She was the enemy, his rival. There was no way he would allow himself to think about her like that, however hot she was. His reaction was just physical, just due to his wayward hormones, nothing else.

Focus, soldier. Keep your head in the game, he ordered himself sternly.

Knowing that whatever she had taken from Ivanov was tucked into that watch, Alec undid the strap and took it off her wrist.

A cry of outrage escaped her lips. "I'm going to kill you for this!" she hissed hotly, trying to kick him. But he had placed his legs wide, practically straddling her hips, so her kicks did not find its target.

A series of soft beeps reached his ears, barely audible in its soft volume. Both of them paused, tensing as they tried to locate the origin of the sound. The air suddenly felt charged.

Alec glanced around warily. Something inside told him that the sound did not bode well for them.

Then the shrill blare of an alarm pierced the air. A loud metallic clank sounded as steel bars began to descend, and then slammed down in front of the windows.

He looked at Max, seeing the shock in his eyes mirrored in her eyes as they darted around apprehensively before they landed on him.

"What did you do, you idiot?" she snapped, her fiery eyes flashing angrily at him.

"Why do you just assume it's something I did?" he retorted with a frown. But a tiny tingle of doubt made its way to his mind. Maybe those stuff 511 gave him did not work on Ivanov's security.

"Because I've dealt with the alarms before I came in," she snarled, rushing towards the window and began to tug at the bars.

Damn it, maybe the stuff he had dropped interfered with Max's devices, Alec thought grimly. He rushed towards the barred window.

Before he could reach it, guards dressed in black tactical gear began to flood the room. Twelve, no, fourteen of them, he counted. Adrenaline began to pump through him.

"Great. Now what?" Alec hissed under his breath, his sharp eyes darting from one guard to another. There were too many of them. Things were not looking good for them.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not going to just stand here," Max said and then immediately shot forward. The sound of gunshot rounds reverberated around the room, but she kept on moving, seemingly ducking the bullets. Alec's eyes rounded in surprise.

The guards scattered, half headed towards him and the other half zeroing in on her.

"Damn it, Max," he muttered under his breath before he followed her lead. He could not believe that she had just dashed forward without any plan or any coordination with him. That was not what partnering was all about.

A guard came at him, breaking his train of thought. Without much effort, the heels of his hand connected with the guards jaw, snapping the man's head up with a crack. Then his last thought came back to him. Partnering? What was he thinking about? She was his rival, not a partner. All their encounters must have really messed up his mind.

Gritting his teeth, he swung around in a spinning kick, sending two other guards sprawling to the floor. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Max smash an elbow into the guard behind her before she finished him off using a back-fist. Alright, maybe Unitech had trained her well, he admitted reluctantly. But she was still his rival.

A bullet whizzed past, making his ears ring. Alec blurred forward before the shooter could comprehend his intentions and grabbed hold of the gun. He slammed the butt of the gun into the shooter's face, watching the shooter crumple to the ground.

A sharp cry made him look around just in time to see Max recoil from a shot. As she clutched at her left shoulder, Alec could see the blood seeping out between her fingers.

Then, suddenly he felt a painful jolt in the small of his back.

Then another, the shock fanning out all over his body. He could not stop himself from dropping to his knees. His hands flew out, landing on the floor just before the rest of his body hit the ground.

Another jab and another shock coursed through him.

Then everything went black as pain exploded in his head.

* * *

Max's eyes fluttered open slowly. Her breathing was shallow, telling her that her body was still trying to recuperate from the multiple shocks it had received. Not to mention the gaping hole in her left shoulder, she thought, wincing as she tried to move it. 

Great. This was just great, Max thought sourly as she tried to yank herself off her bindings. It held.

Two guards were standing by the door, watching them silently. Immobilised and duct-taped to a column in the basement was not the outcome she had envisaged for this mission. She would not be sitting on a cold, dusty floor with her back against a concrete column with duct-tape criss-crossing her chest and around her ankles if it was not for some idiot.

It was all that jackass' fault. If he had left her alone to do her job, she would not be in this position. And to make matters worse, they were even sharing the same duct-tape. She could feel the tape cutting harder into her arms every time he shifted, sending spikes of pain up her injured arm.

"Quit moving, will you?" she hissed over her shoulders at him.

She received a mirthless chuckle from him. "Or what? You're going to kick my ass. Might be a little hard to do that right now, Max," he said from the other side of the column.

Alec was obviously alright considering that his speech ability was still sound. Unfortunately.

"Quiet! No talking!" a guard ordered loudly in a heavily accented voice.

Max rolled her eyes, but before she could retort, the door opened and Ivanov stepped in. The man's gaze shifted from her to Alec, then back to her again. Max kept her expression neutral as she returned his stare.

When the Russian man reached them, Alec said casually, "This wasn't what I had in mind when you suggested the partnership."

Max saw Ivanov sneer. "What did you take me for, Mr McDowell? I knew there was something not right about you the minute Mesher told me about your _request_," Ivanov said derisively.

"Well, I didn't expect someone like you to catch on that fast," Alec taunted in a bored voice.

Ivanov frowned at the insult, and then a cold smile crossed his lips. "We'll see what comes out of that mouth later, okay?" Then he turned to face Max, the smile on his face turning regretful. "Now, you, my sweet. You, I didn't expect. I thought we were friends."

Max rolled her eyes. "Spare me, _Andrei_. I have better taste in friends."

His lips compressed into a thin line. "It's obvious what the two of you have in common, apart from being criminal partners, of course. Whoever you work for must have made foul mouth a requirement during recruitment."

Max was about to declare that they were not partners, but she clamped her teeth down before the rash words could escape her lips. It might not be a bad thing, letting Ivanov think that they were partners. That way, if they were interrogated, at least Unitech would be safe. With all the training she had gone though, she had no doubt that she could hold out longer than Alec.

The image of Alec screaming in pain while Ivanov tortured him suddenly invaded her mind. Feeling oddly sick, she quickly pushed the image away.

Ivanov turned back to his guards. "Check the alarms," he barked.

The guards nodded curtly and left the room, Ivanov stepping close behind.

With a last glance at them, the Russian man said with a cold smile, "Relax. We need you fresh for our next meeting."

Max rolled her eyes. "Get out already, will you? That dramatic exit thing is not working."

Ivanov's eyes hardened. "And you. I'll have something _special_ for you," he said in a deceptively soft voice just before he closed the door behind him, leaving them alone in the room.

Max let out the breath she was holding. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the cold column.

"That was unnecessary."

Max stifled the urge to groan. Of all people, she had to end up being tied to the same column as the most annoying person she had ever encountered. "Shut up," she snapped.

"Look who's talking. You do know that the more you piss him off, the worse he'll be when he interrogates you, right? Or are you that naive?"

"I'm sure you'll enjoy his interrogation sessions, but I'm not staying," she muttered, trying to loosen the duct tape. Damn it, the tape felt as if it was reinforced. Just her luck, she thought in disgust.

"Oh, yeah? And how do you propose to get out?"

_Yeah, Max. How?_

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Okay, that's it for now. Please review and let me know what you think? Will they escape?


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks for the encouraging reviews, you wonderful readers! It keeps me going, hehe! Now, more MA action coming up as Max and Alec deal with their latest predicament. Enjoy!

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 10**

(by elle6778)

Alec leaned back against the column, frowning deeply. He needed to assess the situation objectively. There must be a way to get out of the restraints.

But even if they did, there was no guarantee that they would get out in one piece. He had seen the two surveillance cameras mounted on the walls and he was positive that they were being monitored closely. So running without a foolproof plan was out of the question, considering how many guards Ivanov has.

The fact that they were even exposed in the first place riled him to no end. Since their presence had been so easily detected, he had deduced that their equipments must have interfered with each others. The question was, how?

He yanked at the tape around him, inciting a hiss of irritation from his fellow prisoner. "Hey, Max! What did you do to freeze the surveillance?"

She snorted in response. "What? Trying to steal our tech now, are you?"

Alec turned his eyes upwards. The image of his hands throttling her slender neck flashed past his eyes. "What for? It's probably faulty, anyway."

"So, you don't need to know, do you?"

He squeezed his eyes shut. _Patience, Alec. Patience_, he told himself. "Look, I have a good reason for asking alright?"

"Oh yeah? What is it then?"

He gritted his teeth. "I need to know if our devices interfered," he explained somewhat reluctant. There was no doubt in his mind that she would happily kill him now that she realised what had actually happened.

Silence ensued. "You mean we're in this fix now because your stupid device interfered with mine?" she gritted out menacingly.

Alec winced inwardly at her tone. "Hey, it could be the other way round, you know?"

"Listen to me, smartass. I got here first. I dropped MY device first. So it's YOURS which interfered with mine, not the other way round, get it?" she snarled. Then she groaned. "The waves must have overlapped, messing up the frequencies," she said, sounding resigned.

Alec sighed wearily. It made sense. "Yeah. That sounds about right." Unitech must be utilising the same sort of tech as Manticore.

"We need to kill one of them," she muttered under her breath, almost as if she was talking to herself.

"We need to get out of this first," he said, jerking at the bindings. "Hell! It _has_ to be fibre reinforced," he exclaimed in disgust.

She hissed. "Quit moving!"

"Shoulder bothering you?" he taunted nastily. The wound could not be that bad considering that she was still capable of sparring verbally with him. Most ordinaries would be crying in pain by now.

"I'm touched by your concern," she retorted sarcastically.

"Yeah, I've been told that I have a big heart."

He grinned when he heard a long-suffering groan from her.

Well, at least there was some entertainment for him while he worked out how to free himself.

* * *

Max stared at the corner of the dim basement, wondering if she could manage to force the duct-tape apart. It was painful to even attempt it, considering her injured shoulder. Anyway, she needed to kill those surveillance cameras in the room before she could try anything. The EM disruptors would do it. She had more of them in her pocket, but how was she supposed to activate them?

"Do you have anymore of what you were using to jam the surveillance?" Alec suddenly asked.

Max frowned at his question. "I think so." Was he thinking what she was thinking?

"Can you activate it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, of course. It activates by voice command," she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Haha. Very funny," he said mirthlessly. "Can you activate it or not?" he asked again insistently.

"It's in my pocket, you idiot. How am I supposed to activate it?"

"Which one?" he asked.

Max gritted her teeth in irritation. She knew that he probably had a valid reason for asking her, but his mere presence was putting her on the edge. And her tongue was reacting accordingly. "What does it matter?"

"Which one?" he repeated insistently.

"The left one," she finally said grudgingly.

He strained, trying to reach back towards her, the duct tape stretched taut, cutting into her arm.

Max hissed. "Damn it, Alec. Quit moving!" she snapped in annoyance. Her shoulders were beginning to throb painfully at the abuse and she could see the dark red circle on her top spreading wider.

He let out a frustrated exclamation. "I'm trying to reach your pocket." A short pause followed, and then he continued, "And maybe grope around a little while I'm at it."

"Do it and you're dead!" she snarled viciously, trying to jerk away from his fingers.

"Do you want to get out or not?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I mean it, Alec," she warned. Then she sucked in a sharp breath when his fingers grazed her exposed skin between the top of her pants and her cropped top. All thoughts of her injured shoulder fled her mind as her senses focussed on his fingers scraping her skin.

Alec groaned. "Just relax, okay. You're making it more difficult than it needs to be. It'll be faster if you quit moving."

Alright, she had to admit that he got a point there, Max thought grudgingly. The faster he get the EM disruptor out, the sooner she would be free of his presence. Sullenly, she clamped her mouth shut and held herself rigidly while Alec continued to move behind her. His fingers grazed her skin on a few more occasions, making her flinch, before they slipped further down.

When his hands slid around her rear towards her side, goosebumps exploded over her skin. Max closed her eyes, cursing at her body's over-reaction to his touch. And hoping that he would not notice her anything. He was annoying enough without knowing the effect his touches had on her.

"What's taking you so long?" she finally hissed.

"I can't reach your pocket. Twist around a little, will you?"

Grudgingly, she shifted to the left as much as she could, biting her lips against the pain in her shoulders. "Better?"

"Yeah," he said in a strained voice. His fingers moved against her side.

She inhaled sharply when his hand slipped into her pocket. The only thing separating his fingers and the sensitive skin were two thin layers of fabric.

Then a triumphant exclamation escaped his lips. "Got it," he said, extracting his hand from her pocket, much to Max's relief.

"Press it between your thumb and finger and drop it," Max instructed.

"Done," he said. "Now, all we have to do is to get out of these tapes."

Max rolled her eyes. "Yeah, they are reinforced, remember?"

"Did they tape you to the column? Can you feel anything behind you?"

Max shifted slightly, and felt the tape only around her front and sides. "No. I'm guessing they taped around both of us."

"Well, they must have decided that I needed more restrain, or maybe they ran out of tape. But I think they secured me to the column as well," he remarked in disgust.

She grinned in amusement. "Isn't that just too bad," she said sweetly.

"Just proves that they know who they should be more careful of."

"Looks can be deceiving."

He sounded thoughtful. "Yeah. But I suppose in your case, it's a little hard to hide the bitch within."

"Shut up!" she gritted out in annoyance.

"I guess this round goes to me, then," he said with a chuckle.

Max glowered. "Did you ask about the tape for fun or you have some idea of how to remove it?"

"I think I know how we can get out of this."

"How?"

* * *

Alec grinned when he heard the wariness in her tone. The girl was obviously reluctant to trust him.

"The tape is just around our clothes. We just need to get the clothes off," he said in a casual tone, and waited for the explosion.

A second of silence ensured before she burst out, "No freaking way!"

"What, you're shy?" he teased.

"Shut up!"

"I've seen you in less, remember? That little waitress dress didn't cover much." Yeah, Alec. That waitress dress left little to the imagination. Too little.

He smirked when she did not reply. No doubt she was plotting his death at the moment.

Deciding to give her another push, he mocked, "Gee, Max. It's not as if this is the first time I'm seeing a naked woman. Tell you what, I promise I'll try to contain my excitement."

"You even _look_ at me and you're _dead_!" she snarled.

He raised his eyebrows even though she could not see it. "I ask you again. You want to get out of here or not? Hmm?"

"Fine! Do it, then," she snapped, her reluctance obvious.

Alec manoeuvred his hands until he had a hold on one of Max's sleeves. In that small working space, he realised that he had to utilise his full strength to rip the fabric.

"Okay, ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said curtly.

With a hard tug, the fabric tore. Shifting a little, he worked his hands until he touched her other sleeve. That too, came apart in his hands after a hard yank.

"Did I get it all?" he asked, feeling her shift against him.

"Most of it," she replied tightly behind him.

Her reluctance and embarrassment were so palpable that he could almost feel it coming towards him in waves. If the situation was not so serious, Alec would have laughed. But being captured was not a joking matter, especially for him. Not if there was a chance that Ivanov might find out who he was 'working' for.

Now Max was another story. If Ivanov interrogated her, it would be to Manticore's benefit. He would gain more information on what he now knew was a rival organisation. Maybe Max would be more willing to talk about Unitech under duress.

_Duress? Torture, you mean_, a small voice sounded in his head. Alec winced inwardly. The mental image of Max being tortured was strangely disturbing.

A hard tug wrenched his arms backwards.

He looked over his shoulders to see Max standing there, her top covered only in a scrap of lacy bra. It occurred to him that he should make some comment about her state of undress, but nothing came to mind.

Well, nothing except that she looked good in black lace.

And then his eyes focussed on the bloody wound on her shoulder. The wound was not as small as he had thought it was. The bullet seemed to have entered the fleshy part of her arm, but he could not see an exit wound.

An unwanted feeling of remorse coursed through him at the thought of his earlier actions. He must have really hurt her when he tugged at the tape.

But she did not even cry out.

* * *

What did he think he was looking at?

The way he had his eyes trained on her was making her feel very uncomfortable. It made her feel like she should cross her arms over her chest, but she refused to give in to the urge. She would not let him have the satisfaction of knowing that he had unsettled her.

Fuming, she made her way to his side and knelt beside him, checking his pockets.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Checking you out, what else?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Since you're such an irresistible male specimen and all."

Alec shot a glare at her.

A triumphant exclamation escaped her lips when she found what she was looking for. Her watch.

"Hey!" he protested with a frown when he saw what she extracted from his pocket.

"Thanks for keeping it safe," she said sweetly.

As she stood up to stare down at him, Max deliberated whether to leave him to Ivanov or not. Alec did not know who she was, so it would not be a problem if Ivanov interrogated him. Right?

"Don't even _think_ about it," he warned, obviously guessing what was on her mind.

Max grinned. "Don't know what you're talking about, Alec."

He narrowed his eyes. "We've got a deal, Max."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh?" Raising her hand, she pretended to inspect her fingernails as she said, "Don't recall anything like that."

"Fine! What do you want?"

Max grinned. "Answers."

Alec glared at her. "No freaking way!"

Max shrugged. "I guess it's between answering my questions and answering Ivanov's, huh? Your choice."

He gave her a warning look. "Max…"

Her sensitive hearing picked up the sound of footsteps in the distance. They were coming closer. She looked down to see a similar look of alarm on Alec's face.

"Max! This is not the time to play games," he said urgently.

She went to him and began to unravel the tape.

"Too slow. I have a kit under my left boot. Use that."

The slim toolkit was lodged in a slot in his heels. Max found it easily and quickly straightened, sliding the sharp edge of a blade against the duct-tape, slicing through the material of his top.

Alec pulled himself off the column and yanked his shredded top over his head, throwing it to the side.

"The service hatch," he said, nudging at the metal grating on the ceiling as he ran towards it.

Max deliberately kept her eyes off his exposed body, trying not to notice the rippling muscles under his unblemished skin, as she followed him.

"Come on. I'll lift you up. Get the grating off then climb in. I'll replace it behind me," he instructed rapidly.

Who was he to give orders, Max thought irritably as she slipped his toolkit into her pocket to free her hands. But knowing that she had no time to argue with him, she stood in front of him. His gaze went to the wound on her shoulders, and she saw something akin to remorse pass over his expression.

Their eyes met for a second, and something she could not quite define passed between them just as his rough hands encircled her small waist. And then she found herself up in the air.

He was strong, she admitted grudgingly as he held her up there with steady hands while she detached the grill from the metal service duct. It came off in one of her hands, leaving the other one free to hang on the edge of the duct.

"Drop it," he said quietly. The grill fell to the floor, the sound of its impact dulled by his boots.

She pulled herself upwards into the duct and then turned back to extend her hand down to help him. The thought that she was actually helping her rival crossed her mind briefly, but she brushed it aside. There would be time to think about that later.

* * *

They scrambled along the duct hurriedly. Alec was not sure where they were heading but he knew that they had to keep moving away from their original point. Max was in front of him, elbowing her way forward easily even with her injured shoulder. Under normal circumstances, he would have been impressed by the speed she was moving ahead, but he was beginning to get used to her abilities.

When he was passing over another open metal grating which led into another room, she suddenly hissed urgently, "Quiet! Don't move. I hear something."

"Can't," he hissed back, quickly shuffling forwards. He could not just stop over a grating. Anyone who was in the room would be able to see him if they looked up.

"There's not enough space for two of us side by side," she gritted out under her breath as he squeezed tight next to her.

"Shh!" he hissed, freezing as he heard the sound of voices and footsteps in the room beneath them.

He held his breath without realising it, and found Max doing the same thing.

Her body was pressed uncomfortably against his, forcing him to pay attention to those lace-encased curves which were moulded tight against his bare chest. _Think of something else, soldier_, he chided himself. It would be highly embarrassing if his body began to react in response to his thoughts.

He glanced at her to find her glaring at him, those chocolate brown orbs framed by long lashes broadcasting her annoyance at the situation. Well, she was not the only one feeling unsettled.

His sharp hearing picked up the sound of receding footsteps, and he finally allowed himself to breath. They were safe for the moment, but it was too soon for them to move around. The guards were probably still around the area.

Max shifted, looking pained. "We've got to stay here for a while. The security team's probably still nearby," she said, echoing his thoughts. Then her eyes glanced down to where their bodies were practically fused together.

She looked as if she was about to kill him, he thought with a smirk.

He arched an eyebrow, deliberately letting his eyes run over the top of her breasts which were pushed up between them. "Actually, you don't look too bad."

She glared at him murderously.

Then he continued, "But I've seen better."

She bristled indignantly. "Who cares what sort of trash you've seen?" she snapped in a low voice.

He adopted a wounded expression. "Hey, I take offence at that. My lady companions are the cream of the crop. A tasteful selection of the female species."

Max snorted, then her lips curled in disdain. "They just have lousy taste in men, right?"

"They have _excellent_ taste in men, but only one could satisfy them," he said with a grin.

Max rolled her eyes. "You really need to get over yourself. It's an unhealthy preoccupation."

Alec shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? Perfection is hard to come by," he remarked in a matter-of-fact tone.

Groaning, she said, "I'm surprised your neck is still intact."

"Hmm?"

"With such a bloated head, I just have to wonder, that's all. That skinny neck doesn't look like it's strong enough to hold your head up."

Who was she calling skinny? "I'm so perfectly proportioned that you wouldn't believe it even if I told you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Obviously it didn't extend to the brains department."

"Hey, my brain's superior to yours." If only she knew what he was, he thought with a grin. The temptation to tell her was suddenly there, just to see her reaction.

"But I'm not the one stupid enough to get us in this fix."

He groaned inwardly. Just how many times must she bring the topic up? "That wasn't intentional. I explained what happened."

"So you admit that it's your fault, huh?"

"No way!" he protested hotly.

"I can't believe you're so stupid," she ranted, her body pushing against his in her agitation. "Are you doing this for the first time or what?"

"Yeah, the first time I actually have interference from some chick who doesn't know when to butt out," he said, trying to shift away from her slightly. Her movements were distracting.

Alec made a mental note to seek out the company of some lucky women that night. His hormones were obviously protesting against the lack of sexual activities of late.

Her eyes flashed indignantly at his words. "At least I know better than to keep my eyes open on my surroundings. You could have easily spotted my stuff if you bothered to look. They were in plan sight. And why should I butt out, as you put it? This is my mission, and your presence is messing everything up."

Would she shut up about it already? If he was not a transgenic, he would have had a migraine by now. Plus, her body was pressed way too close to his for him to think straight. And would she _quit_ moving against him already?

She was not finished. "You shouldn't have activated yours. What were you thinking? That I'll just walk in here like that?" she continued to hiss, her eyes flashing.

The sight of her, all flushed and agitated, was bring up unwanted images into his head. "Stop it, Max. I get what you're saying!" he said roughly, wanting more than ever to get out of there at that moment. The heat was building up in his body and he was helpless to prevent it.

A triumphant expression entered her eyes, lighting them up. Making them irresistible to his already wayward body. Alec was struggling so hard to keep himself in check that he was barely paying attention to her next words. "You get it? Finally! I was about to-"

And before he knew it, his lips descended onto hers.

An astounded gasp escaped her lips, but he did not stop. She was soft and sweet under him.

A voice at the back of his mind told him that what he was doing was a very bad idea. But another voice told him that if he was going to suffer through all her nagging, he might as well get some enjoyment out of it.

Right?

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Hope you've all enjoyed the extra long chapter and the latest development between the two rivals. Please review and tell me your thoughts on it!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: As always, thank you very much for reading and reviewing this fic! Here's the next chapter.

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 11**

(by elle6778)

Stunned, Max froze stock-still. Somewhere at the back of her mind, it registered that his lips felt good on hers. It was soft, but firm at the same time. A warm feeling spread all over her as she inhaled, his breath mingling with hers.

It took her a while to really digest what was actually happening.

Her mind pushed past the barrier of shock and she blinked. The guy was kissing her. His lips were assaulting hers like he was staking some sort of claim on her. _What the hell did he think he was doing?_

Clamping her lips tight, she drew back abruptly and head-butted him.

His head banged against the metal duct with an alarmingly loud clang.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide in bewilderment. Then the remnants of the glazed look in those hazel orbs dissipated completely to be replaced by an affronted look.

She swiped the back of her hands over her mouth, glaring at him in disgust. What did he expect after what he had just done? She had not been prepared for that. Verbal attack, yes. But not a physical one, especially of _that_ nature.

"Look-" he started, looking flustered.

"Back off," she gritted out between her teeth. She wanted kill the guy. Or at least main him. She could not believe that he had done _that_.

"We're in a duct, Max," he pointed out flatly.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

His expression turned mocking. "It worked, didn't it? You finally shut up."

Her jaw went slack. "You _kissed_ me to shut me up?" she snarled angrily. The nerve of the guy! She tried to kick him, but in the limited space, her action had no impact whatsoever on the smirking man in front of her.

"Keep moving like that and I might do it for a different reason."

Max stilled as she digested his words. Narrowing her eyes at him, she exclaimed in disgust, "You're sick!"

"Hey, just doing what's necessary."

"_That_ was not necessary," she pointed out angrily. "Or are you unable to articulate your thoughts like a normal person?"

"Who said I'm normal?" Smirking, he continued, "I'm unique."

Max sniffed in disdain. "Please. Get over yourself."

Alec sighed exaggeratedly. "I'm telling you, it's true."

She was about to retort when she suddenly noticed the deathly silence around them. Shaking her head at Alec, she hushed, "Shh…"

He arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"Just shut up and listen," she hissed impatiently.

Then she saw understanding dawn in his eyes. Frowning, he said in a hushed tone, "It's quiet. Too quiet."

She brightened at the implication. Now she could get out of the duct. Away from his annoying presence. "I'm going to move before they come back."

He shook his head in refusal. "Might be a trap, Max. I won't go if I were you."

Max rolled her eyes. "Feel free to stay if you like." It suited her better if he got captured by Ivanov anyway. And this time, she hoped that he would get tortured. Extensively.

He shrugged, making her frown as he bumped his shoulders against her. "I would wish you good luck, but seeing that your good luck would probably mean my bad luck, I'd rather let you take your chances," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, whatever," she said disinterestedly.

Pushing against the duct, she squeezed herself past Alec and began to elbow her way forward. The duct was long, but she could see a small ray of light in the distance. It must be from another opening. The thought of escape spurned her on and she made herself move faster, ignoring the pain in her shoulders. At least the blood had stopped trickling down her arm, she thought with a grimace.

The faint sounds of shuffling behind her told her that Alec had started to move.

Suddenly, she realised that it was imperative that she got out of there as quickly as possible. Away from Alec. If they were really alone, undisturbed by Ivanov's people, she was sure that Alec would attempt to snatch the watch from her again. With her wound, she was in no state to pretend to fight like an Ordinary. She would need to use her enhanced skills, but that would raise suspicions.

She sped up, gritting her teeth against the throbbing pain in her shoulders. When she arrived at the opening, she peered down cautiously. It seemed to be clear. She frowned, wondering if she should wait.

Her ears picked up the fact that Alec was approaching. Having started off later than she did, he was still a little distance behind, but she could not afford to wait.

Steeling herself, she lifted the metal grating and shoved it to the side. In an instant, she was through the hole, landing softly on her feet in a crouch. Holding her position, she quickly scanned the room. Satisfied that no one was around and that Alec was not around to see her she sprang up and blurred through the door into the hallway.

Then abruptly froze in her tracks.

Her eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her.

Ivanov's lackeys were lying prone in various positions along the hallway. Gingerly, she ran past them, noting that they were still alive. But apparently injured enough to render all of them unconscious. Strangely enough, she did not see any open wound. There was not a single drop of blood to be seen. Apprehensively, she wondered who had done the damage. And if the person was still around.

Well, she was not about to wait to find out. She had what she came for, and now, all she needed to worry about was to get out of the place in one piece.

Her journey to the front door remained unhindered. Nevertheless, she turned to look over her shoulders more than once, just to make sure she was not being followed. Alec's absence was making her nervous. Not being able to locate where he was did not bode well for her. He might spring a surprise attack on her.

She should have left him tied up earlier and just escaped without him, she thought belatedly.

Just as she skidded past the front door, she felt a hand clamp around her arm in a vice-like grip.

Alarmed, she lashed out without thinking. Her free arm connected hard with a chin, snapping her assailant's head back.

"Max!"

Her eyes shot up immediately to clash with a pair of familiar green eyes. "Seth," she exhaled in relief. A confused expression crossed her face. "What are you doing here?"

It just took a second for the confusion to be replaced with defensiveness. "Checking up on me?" she asked tightly, her eyes accusing.

He held a finger to his lips, glancing around warily before his eyes came back to her. "I was looking for you." Then, spotting her injured shoulders and her state of undress, he frowned. "What happened? Are you okay?" He pulled his jumper off himself and handed it to her.

As she put his jumper on, the images of the injured bodies littering the hallway flashed past her eyes. It must have been Seth who had done it. Brushing aside his question, she asked with a frown, "What did you do? Everyone's unconscious."

"I told you I was looking for you. Can't just stroll in, can I?" he said by way of explanation. Then he gave a searching look. "You're alone?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nevermind," he quickly said, his eyes flitting past her and around them again.

He was behaving really odd, even by his standards. Seth looked worried and seemed to be agitated, which was unusual for him. Could it be because of what had happened earlier that day? Was Seth being the way he was because of what she had said to him?

A feeling of remorse came over her. Much as she hated the overprotective attitude he had towards her, he was still Seth and she still cared for him. Maybe she had been a little harsh on him this morning. After all, the guy had not been behaving any different from his usual self. Taking a deep breath, she started haltingly, "Seth-"

He interjected, "Did you get anything?"

She nodded slowly, still a little puzzled by his behaviour. "Yeah. Did you see Ivanov?"

Seth shook his head. "I think he got out before I arrived. I searched through a couple of rooms but found nothing useful."

Before she could say anything else, he gestured for her to follow him. "Let's go. Before more of them arrive."

Still feeling a little stunned at his presence and the fate of the guards, Max just ran along behind Seth silently, her mind whirring with questions.

* * *

Alec dropped down into Ivanov's office and started to work his way around the room.

Damn it! They'd cleared everything out, Alec thought in disgust as he rummaged through Ivanov's office. He had purposely followed the duct until he reached that particular room, but he guessed that he was too late. Ivanov had managed to run away with all his information.

Alec grimaced. Renfro would not be pleased. The length of time he had taken so far for this mission was bordering on unacceptable and he was sure that if he had noticed that, Renfro would not doubt reach the same conclusion. Especially when he had nothing to show for it.

With Ivanov gone to who knew where, Alec was fresh out of leads.

Except Max.

If he could get hold of Max, he would be able to get the information he needed.

He brightened at the idea. She had just left, so she should not be too far. With that thought, he blurred out of the room.

Just to stop dead in his tracks.

Now he knew why it had been so silent. His eyes swept the hallway. There were eleven uniformed guards lying prone all around him.

Max could not have done it. Eleven were too many for her to handle even with her skills, especially considering her injury. Furthermore, he would have heard something if she had taken down eleven guards right outside the room he had been in.

He tensed as alarms began to ring in his head. Someone else was in the place. Someone who was capable of taking down eleven armed guards in a small space. That was the only explanation he could come up with.

He scanned up and down the hallway again. Seeing that it was all clear, he blurred to the end and turned the corner. The front door was not far in the distance, he noted, cautiously making his way towards it. A few more unconscious guards were scattered around, but he paid them no attention.

He had a bigger fish to fry.

Max.

He stopped at the front door, which had been left open by someone, maybe Max. Taking a step outside, he swept his eyes over the front garden until he saw a slight, almost imperceptible movement behind some trees by the perimeter wall.

He blurred across the lawn. At that speed, no Ordinary would be able to make out his features. Or even recognise the fact that a person just ran across the lawn. Just before he reached the line of trees, he slowed down and went into a crouch.

His eyes caught sight of her dark hair swinging freely around her shoulders. She was about twenty feet away from him. Grinning, he prepared for attack.

Just as he pounced, Max turned around. Her eyes were large in surprise as both of them went flying through the air to land a small distance away on the grass.

"Where's the watch?" he asked, shaking her. Then he noticed that she was wearing a jumper. What-

Before he could finish the thought, Alec felt himself grabbed roughly from the back and yanked off her. "Get your hands off her!" a voice ordered.

It was Max's partner.

Alec raised his arm to block an incoming fist just in the nick of time. Hell, what did Unitech feed their employees? If he had not known better, he would have thought that the guy had the speed of a transgenic. Or someone pumped full of adrenaline and steroids.

Before he could retaliate, Max's partner backed away, pulling Max up with him.

"Stand back, Max. You're hurt," he said, standing in front of her.

Max glowered at her partner. "I can handle him, Seth."

Alec raised his eyebrow mockingly. "Aww. That's so sweet, Max. Let your man kill himself if he wants to, Seth. One less person for the world to feed."

She glared daggers at him, making him grin. "Shut up, smart-ass."

She tried to get past Seth, but he pushed her back. Alec's grin broadened when he saw the murderous look on Max's face, this time directed not at him, but at Seth.

Alec crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "Hey, buddy. I think Maxie here doesn't want your interference."

"Don't call me Maxie," she snarled vehemently.

Unperturbed by her tone, he smirked. "Oh. Struck a nerve, have I?"

Seth stalked towards him, his eyes flashing angrily. "You've got a death wish, man."

This time, Alec was more prepared. The fist did not even reach him before he sidestepped it. What he had not accounted for was that the move was a feigned one. It caught him by surprise. He saw it coming, but was unable to block it in time.

A solid kick nailed him in the gut, throwing him to the ground.

Alec immediately bounced back up into a fight stance. There was a piercing pain in his gut where he had been hit but he forced himself to ignore it. His expression hardened. So, Max's guy was up to some rough games, huh? He cracked his knuckles.

As they began to circle each other warily, Alec made sure that he kept his focus trained completely on his opponent. He threw an experimental jab which Seth blocked easily. Alec's eyes narrowed. The guy's reflexes were exceptionally good for an Ordinary. So good that it was almost unbelievable. And he did not think that adrenaline or steroids had anything to with it.

"Seth! Forget it. We need to go," Max yelled irritably from the side.

Alec smirked at Seth. "Looks like your girl's worried about your chances against me."

Seth's expression remained impassive. "You should be worried about yourself," he said in a harsh tone.

Max snapped furiously. "Enough, the two of you! Are you waiting for Ivanov to show up again or what?"

Ignoring her, Alec rushed forward. He and Seth met in the middle in a flurry of punches and kicks. A fist glanced off his cheeks as he ducked, and then immediately retaliated with a backhand and a chop. The blow connected harmlessly with Seth's forearm.

Taking a step backwards, Alec swung his body around, building up a momentum which resulted in a spinning kick. But before the kick reached its target, Seth threw himself to the grass and spun his leg around in a circle.

Not expecting the move, Alec's feet was swept away from underneath. He allowed himself to hit the ground, and then immediately rolled out of the way of Seth's descending boots. Jumping up to his feet, he took a wary step back, his eyes not leaving his opponent.

They were evenly matched, Alec thought disbelievingly. It was just not possible. Manticore had created them to be stronger, faster and smarter than even the best of Ordinaries.

What was this guy? Could he be another transgenic?

How was that even possible? Especially when he was Max's partner and presumably also working for Unitech.

Alec frowned as an idea occurred to him. Maybe Seth was on an undercover mission to spy on Unitech.

No. That did not make sense at all. If Seth was undercover, then Manticore would have known that Unitech was also after Ivanov's weapon design. In which case, Manticore would not have sent him or 511 out. It would be much simpler to just wait for their undercover agent to get it.

But Alec knew he had to check.

Narrowing his eyes, he hissed under his breath, so softly that no one but a transgenic could hear. "Who are you?"

Seth's expression was unreadable when he replied, "Someone you wish you've never met."

"Did Renfro send you?"

"Who?" Seth asked, frowning slightly.

Alec gritted his teeth. Fine, the guy obviously wanted to keep his cover. And the worst part of it was, he could not even ask Renfro without getting either himself or Seth into trouble,_ if_ Seth was really a transgenic. Manticore had always stressed that when undercover, they should remain _undercover_ no matter what until they returned to Manticore. It was the tactically sound thing to do, he knew.

On the other hand, if Seth was not a transgenic, asking Renfro would mean that he basically admitted that there was another opposing party in his mission. No doubt Renfro would then somehow find out that he had been keeping the information from her, which probably meant that his ass would be fried.

Great. Just great, he thought dejectedly.

* * *

Her face set in an expression of extreme irritation, Max looked back and forth between the two men who were still circling each other warily.

Seth looked like his usual self in a mission. Completely focussed and disciplined. Planning and calculating everything in his head before he executed any moves. She was surprised that he had gone as far as to fight with Alec. Seth had held back, but a little less than usual. It was strange considering that he was usually very careful about displaying any of his enhanced skills.

What surprised her more was that Alec managed to hold his own against Seth. She knew that he was good, but it had not occurred to her that he was _that_ good. The way he had avoided Seth's blows was almost unreal. Seth's moves had been swift and accurate, but Alec had still managed to block and even retaliate.

A niggling idea lodged itself at the back of her mind, making Max frown. What she had in mind was not impossible, but it was too much of a coincidence.

She thought back to all the time they had met in the past.

She remembered how difficult it had been for her to get away from Alec's hold when he had found her ransacking Samuel Davies's place. He had held her down to the desk with her arms behind her back. She had to practically dislocate her shoulders to get away.

And last night, he had managed to track her back to her place even though she had taken all those precautions and detours. Worse still, she had not detected his presence at all when she neared her house. She had only found out that he had followed her all the way home when Seth told her about the call from Jack. Her hidden security cameras which fed directly back to Manticore had caught him going through her stuff. The bastard!

She should have known that something was off when he managed to somehow rip her sleeves off just by tugging it with his fingers. Considering the way they had been tied to the column, he would not have had the chance to grab the material properly. The only explanation for it was that he has some strong fingers.

But no barcode, she thought as Alec moved sideways, exposing his neck.

Her frown deepened. But that did not mean anything. Manticore must have come up with some way to remove it, just like what Unitech had done.

If what she suspected was true, then they had to get away from Alec immediately. This mission was not worth the risk of getting recaptured by Manticore. The whole escape thing had cost everyone so much more than anyone had anticipated, and to be caught would be throwing everything away. Not to mention that she never wanted to set foot in that hell-hole called Manticore ever again.

Taking a step towards the fighting men, she yelled urgently, "Seth! We need to go. NOW!"

Seth ignored her, his attention solely on Alec. He sidestepped a kick from Alec and then released a double jab which was easily blocked by Alec. Neither of them were really getting any hits in, and the whole thing was really beginning to annoy her.

"Damn it!" she muttered. She had to do something about the two of them, injured shoulder or not.

Steeling herself, she jumped into the fray.

"Max!" Seth exclaimed in alarm, trying to push her behind him. "What are you doing?"

Twisting around, Max managed to avoid being hit by Alec's fists. "Back off, Alec," she warned threateningly as she grabbed hold of Seth's arm.

Alec took a step back. With a smirk, he mocked, "Afraid that your man can't win his own battles?"

"Shut-up, smart-ass!" she snarled. "Let's go, Seth," she stressed again, hoping that he would listen to her.

Standing in their path, Alec said coldly, "Not so fast."

Her eyes narrowed. "Get out of my way."

"I believe you have something I want," he stated meaningfully.

Max rolled her eyes. "If you think for a second that I'm just going to hand my watch to you, you're sadly mistaken. You see, I'm very attached to the watch."

Alec shrugged. "Then I'd just have to take it."

"No, you're not," Seth said, stepping between them.

Max gritted her teeth. Why must Seth always think that she could not handle her own fights?

"I can deal with this, Seth," she said tightly.

"Hey, it's nice to know that I'm wanted," Alec remarked with a smirk. "Please, guys, there's enough of me to go around."

She snapped back her attention to Alec.

At that instant, he charged at her. She hit the ground hard, face down, her breath rushing out of her lungs at the impact. The pain in her shoulders intensified, making her groan. A fraction of a second later, Alec had her in a chokehold.

Then abruptly, the pressure eased.

She looked up to see Seth standing over Alec's prone body, a gun in his hand. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes widened.

"What did you do?" she yelled angrily, jumping to her feet.

Anxious, she rushed towards Alec and bend down over his unconscious form, her fingers feeling for a pulse.

"Relax, Max. It's just a tranq-shot," Seth explained levelly.

Detecting a steady pulse under her fingers, she exhaled in relief. Then, swinging around to look at a stony-faced Seth, she said accusingly, "That was not necessary, Seth."

"Right. He had you in a chokehold and you're saying it's not necessary," he stated flatly. "What's wrong with you, Max?"

She stiffened. Seth's words hit hard. Deep inside, she knew that he was probably right, but the shock of seeing Alec lying unconscious on the ground did weird things to her. She looked down at Alec again and then felt the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. The strange thing was, she could not quite put her finger on it.

So she responded the only way she could. "Nothing. Forget it." Tearing her gaze away from Alec, she started to walk away. "Let's go."

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: That's it for now. Hope you've enjoyed that! Please review and let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N:Hugs: Thanks for the encouraging reviews, guys!

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 12**

(by elle6778)

Max sat behind Seth, lost in her own thoughts as he drove them to the apartment.

Seth said that he had shot Alec with a tranquilizer, so she guessed that Alec would be alright after a couple of hours or so, depending on his metabolism.

But what confused her most was her own reaction to the entire episode. She had been thinking about her reaction. If she had to put a name to the feeling, she would say that it was _concern_.

She was concerned about Alec.

She shook her head roughly in an attempt to shake some sense into her self. _You're growing soft, Max. Snap out of it,_ she scolded herself sternly. How could she possibly be concerned for someone who was effectively her mission rival? She should be wishing him gone. It must be due to all the blood lost from that bullet wound in her shoulders. She was not thinking straight. Those thoughts would go away soon enough once she was healed.

Anyway, a guy on a mission like that should know what he was getting himself into. A tranq-gun was nothing compared to some of the other stuff which could happen in these missions. It should not be a big deal to him. _Right?_

Max frowned as she remembered the way he had fought with Seth. She wondered if Seth had noticed Alec's abilities. Something told her that that little fact would not have escaped Seth. Especially considering Seth's skills in hand-to-hand combat. But knowing Seth, it was probably something he would not want to discuss with anyone, let alone her.

She rolled her eyes. _Males._

If Alec was really a transgenic, then they were up against Manticore on this. She was not sure if that was a good idea, she thought, repressing a shiver which had nothing to do with the temperature. The possibility of exposure was too high for them to take the risk. But would Unitech be prepared to lose the weapon they wanted to Manticore in order to protect their operatives?

It was something that she would need to discuss with Eva. That was easier said than done. It was unlikely that Eva would return from her visit to Tinga so soon. So, that meant that she would either have to go to Zack, or aim for someone higher in the chain of command.

Maybe Sandeman would see it her way. After all, he had always looked after their interest. But since he had gone underground, it would not be exactly simple to meet him. Unless she could get hold of Lydecker first.

"We're here," Seth announced as the bike rolled to a stop.

Max looked up in surprise. Lost in her musings, she had not noticed that they had arrived. Swinging her legs off the bike, she said, "I'll grab my stuff and be out in a minute." With that, she walked to the door and opened it.

Much to her surprise, Seth got off the bike and followed her. "Wait. I'm coming with you."

She scowled at him. "Seth, I assure you I'm quite capable of packing my own stuff and getting out in one piece."

Seth shrugged but the tight lines around his mouth gave away his tenseness. "I don't have anything else to do here anyway."

Clamping her lips shut, she decided not to say anything. Silently, she climbed the steps and headed for her apartment. Then she went through the motions of opening the door.

In the short time she had stayed there, she had thankfully not accumulated much, she thought as she began to open the drawers. The contents of the drawers found themselves in a large rucksack as Max began to toss things in. When she reached the drawer containing the syringe, she heard a sharp intake of breath from Seth's direction.

Surprised at his reaction, Max twisted around to give him a questioning look. "What?"

He shook his head and went to peer out of the window. "Nothing," he muttered.

Shrugging, Max went back to her packing. There was not much point in pushing Seth when he was being reticent. If he felt strongly about something, he would normally let her hear it anyway.

Unless he was mad at her about earlier.

As she closed her rucksack, she wondered if she should broach the subject of their relationship. She felt guilty about the way she had treated him earlier, much as she felt that she had not been wrong in the things she had said.

They walked down the stairs in silence. Max noticed that the throbbing in her shoulders was getting worse, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. Someone back at headquarters would be able to fix it.

As they neared his bike, Max slid a look at him out of the corner of her eyes, noting the tense line of his jaw. Something was bothering him, and it showed.

Taking a calming breath, she began, "Seth?"

Swinging his leg over the bike, he replied absently, "Yeah?"

"About the thing earlier…" she said as she got on behind him.

He looked back over his shoulders as he started the bike. "The fight with that guy?"

_The fight? Was that what he was thinking about all this time?_ She narrowed her eyes. "No. But now that you've mentioned it, did the whole thing seem a little off to you?"

He looked away from her, as he pulled away into the road. "How?" he asked over the wind.

She frowned in annoyance. "Oh, come on, Seth! You mean you didn't find it strange that you couldn't take him down?" she shouted back.

"I held back."

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "Right."

It looked like Seth would not be saying anything soon. It would be easier if she could actually see his face instead of facing his back, then she might be able to read something from it. Perhaps she should corner him once they got back.

Then maybe the conversation would get somewhere.

…………………………………….

Alec groaned as he turned over onto his back.

He blinked, trying to clear the bleariness from his eyes and the fuzziness from his head. It did not take him long to recall why he was lying on the grass feeling like his head was stuffed full of cotton. He could still clearly remember the feel of the tranquiliser dart as it impacted against his back.

He sat up abruptly, and then staggered unsteadily to his feet.

The sun was beginning to set. Silence surrounded him. Max and Seth had obviously decided not to hang around.

His jaw tightened. He was going to kill that man the next time he saw him, transgenic or not. In fact, it would be better if Seth was a transgenic. Sooner or later Seth would have to report back to base. At the very least, he would need to get his barcode touched up again. Then they would get a chance to have it out for real.

_If_ he was a transgenic.

Alec frowned deeply as he made his way to the wall. Springing over it easily, he landed on his feet and began to head away from the mansion.

If Seth was a transgenic, then there should be some record of him back in the base. It should not be too hard to find him. Manticore held record of each of them, everything from their training schedules to their DNA make-up.

Alec wondered why he had not seen him before. Granted, he did not know every X5 by sight, but someone like Seth would be hard to miss. The guy had a thing about him that just commands attention. His fighting skills were not something to dismiss either. It was one of the things which galled Alec the most, the fact that he had not been able to take the guy down.

Alec prided himself on being one of the best Manticore had created. His track record was exemplary, except for one tiny hitch in a recent mission. He grimaced. And ever since that tiny hitch, Renfro had been watching him like an hawk, waiting for him to trip up so that so that she could satisfy her sadistic need to see another transgenic punished.

_The bitch. _

…………………….

Their first stop was headquarters.

By then, Max was feeling a little light-headed. No doubt from the blood lost, she thought wearily as they stepped into the building. As the designated field meds, Eva and Tinga normally dealt with these sorts of injuries but in their absence, she hoped that Jack might be able to patch her wound up.

There were only three people in the control room, Max noticed as she and Seth walked in.

Looking up from the folder he was perusing, Zack greeted them with a smile which rapidly dissolved when he saw Max's the blood seeping through the oversized jumper she had on. He shot to his feet and went to her.

"What happened to you?" he asked anxiously. "Max, you were shot!"

Max gave him a weak smile. "It's not a big deal, Zack. Just a small wound."

Abandoning his post at the controls, Jack wore a worried frown as he said, "I'll get the medikit."

Max nodded as Jack rushed out. Mack, one of the few Ordinaries in their midst, rolled a chair towards her. "I think you'd better sit. You look a bit pale."

She sat down with a sigh. "Any news from Eva?" she asked. "And Tinga?"

Mack shook his head. "No. But Eva said she'll call if anything happens."

"Don't worry about Eva. She's got Zane with her," Zack said reassuringly before turning his attention to Seth. "You shouldn't have left her to come back earlier," he said tightly. "You were supposed to be her back-up."

Unperturbed by his tone, Seth gave Zack a stony look. "This is not your concern, Zack."

"I asked him to leave," Max supplied quickly, her eyes flitting between Zack and Seth warily. Zack looked as if he was ready to rip Seth apart. Trying to placate him, she said, "It's okay, Zack. It's not his fault. There were just too many of them."

Zack shook his head. "He came back here when he was supposed to be watching your back. That's what back-up is for, Max." Zack turned, throwing a glare at Seth. "You should have stayed, irregardless of what _other_ problems you might be having at that time."

Seth's jaw tightened. "I didn't have a problem, Zack. I received a call from Jack warning me about the break-in at her apartment, and then I tried to pull her out. But she refused and went back in there anyway."

"You should have been there. You should have stayed."

"I came back to check out the surveillance feed, alright! And went back to Max right after that."

"Obviously it was too late," Zack stated flatly.

"I had to gas the entire place to find her, so don't make it sound like I left her there alone."

Max's ears pricked up. So that was how he brought all the guards down. The gas would not affect her because they had been built to resist those sorts of things.

Then her eyes widened in realisation. That basically confirmed that Alec was a transgenic too, seeing that he had been very much alert when he had attacked her. Unless the gas did not get to the duct. But there were too many clues that point to Alec as a transgenic. Clues that she could not ignore.

"You _gassed_ them?" Zack exclaimed incredulously, interrupting her thoughts. "What happened to being discreet?"

Max sighed. Zack was obviously looking for any reason to tear Seth apart. She never quite understood what the problem between the two of them was. Sometimes, she suspected that it might be because of what happened between her and Seth. Zack had never really forgiven Seth for 'taking advantage' of the situation.

"Look, just forget it, alright? I'll be fine once Jack patch me up," Max insisted earnestly, wishing that they would stop.

His eyes not leaving Seth, Zack remarked icily, "That's not the real issue. We need to know that we can count on each other, that's all."

Holding himself defensively, Seth gritted out tightly, "What are you really saying, Zack? That you can't count on me?"

Zack gestured towards her. "Take a good look at Max and think carefully about what you could have done to prevent it," he suggested pointedly.

Seth took a step forward towards Zack, his eyes flashing with suppressed anger. "I don't like what you're implying here, Zack. You know I care for her. So why don't you tell me what your _real_ problem is?"

"That's enough!" Max snapped in annoyance. Her head was beginning to pound, and their argument was not making it any better.

Just then, Jack walked back in with the medikit. His steps faltered as he took in what appeared to be a face-off between Zack and Seth. It was nothing new, but all of them still felt uncomfortable when it happened.

Obviously trying to diffuse the situation, he called out, "Zack, I need a hand here."

As Jack knelt down beside her, Max looked up to see Seth storming out of the room. Sighing wearily, she said, "That wasn't necessary, Zack. It's not going to help anything."

Scowling, Zack came to her. "He needs to remember that we're a team here," he commented irritably. "Haven't you notice that he's like a stranger around here?"

Handing Zack the medikit, Jack said quietly, "He's just away on a lot of missions."

"The rest of us do as well. But recently, in the last year, he seemed to have changed a lot," Max remarked, and then added softly, "And it seemed to have gotten worse ever since we got together."

"That was something that shouldn't have happened, Max," Zack said with a disapproving frown.

"Well, it seemed to be the right thing at that time," Max snapped defensively.

"Look, Seth probably has a good reason for his behaviour. We just don't know," Jack contributed calmly as he helped Max remove the jumper. He took the surgical tweezers Zack had just sterilised. Looking into her eyes with regret, Jack warned, "This is gonna hurt, Max."

She nodded curtly and held on to the hand Zack offered.

As Jack prodded the bullet hole, she gritted her teeth. When the surgical tweezers entered her flesh, she squeezed her eyes shut against the pain. A groan escaped her lips as she tightened her grip around Zack's hand.

Then she felt the pressure ease. She opened her eyes to see Jack dropping a small bullet into a tray.

"All done," Jack declared softly, patting her on the back. "We just need to do a bit of a transfusion, and then you'll be as good as new."

She let out the breath she was holding, glad that it was over.

"Come on, I'll help you to the spare room," Zack offered. "It's probably not a good idea for you to head home now."

Jack added, "You can go straight to sleep after I do the transfusion."

"Don't think I need the transfusion, Jack."

"You've lost a lot of blood. We need to do it," Jack said firmly, but gently.

Too tired to protest, Max finally nodded and allowed herself to be led to the spare room.

………………………………………….

Alec slammed his hands onto the table in frustration. The impact made the screen in front of him flicker briefly.

Beside him, 511 grinned. They had been in the computer lab for the last four hours. Lights-out had been called hours ago and rest of the transgenics had retired to their cells. There were only two of them left in there, and that was because he had managed to bribe the guards to let them remain.

Alec realised that he did not have much time. Renfro had gone away for some Manticore-related business. Probably to sell their services to the highest bidder again, he thought with a grimace. Not knowing when she would be back was making him nervous.

All he knew was that he had to get out as soon as he found out if Seth was really a transgenic. If he was one, then maybe a deal could be worked up between them, much as he disliked the guy. Hell, he was not even sure _why_ he disliked the guy. Well, maybe because of the tranquilizer.

"I told you it wasn't going to be that easy," 511's voice broke into his thoughts.

Alec frowned irritably. "I don't understand why they needed to keep all those information hidden. Those files don't contain anything that we don't know anyway."

"They do, 494," 511 pointed out smugly. "You might know stuff about yourself, but not on the rest of us, see?"

"How different can it be?" Alec muttered, punching yet another password into the keyboard in front of him. The words 'ACCESS DENIED' flashed back mockingly at him for what seemed like the thousandth time, making him frown even deeper.

"Why are you so desperate to get into that database anyway?" 511 asked curiously. And then a knowing grin graced his expression. "Oh, are you searching for a certain female?"

Alec glared at him before replying, "No. My target's male."

511 raised a surprised eyebrow. "Didn't know you swing that way."

Alec groaned. Gesturing to the screen in front of 511, he said, "Just keep on trying, okay. Leave the lame jokes for later. This is serious."

511 tapped in a few more passwords in rapid succession. Then, in a casual tone, he remarked, "You haven't told me what this is all about. And to be honest, I'm feeling a little left out here. Forgotten that I'm supposed to be on this mission as well? You know, just because I'm staying back at base as backup, that doesn't mean I should be left out of the loop."

Suddenly feeling guilty about everything that he had kept from his partner, Alec said apologetically, "No, I haven't forgotten." He sighed in frustration as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Right. Basically, nothing is going the way it's supposed to and I need to fix it before Renfro finds out. The less you know about it, the better. Or else Renfro will throw two of us instead of one into Psy-Ops."

511 shrugged carelessly. "Part of the game, isn't it. We all know it. We all expect it." Then he frowned. "What do you mean nothing is going the way it's supposed to? What happened?"

"Interference. That's what," Alec muttered darkly as he continued to key in random series of words and numbers.

"From the Unitech chick?" 511 exclaimed incredulously. Then he shook his head slowly. "How ever well-trained she is, I don't believe that she could cause you _that_ much trouble."

"No, it's not just her," Alec said worriedly. He was not sure if it was a good idea to let 511 know. If anything went wrong again he did not want 511 to take the flak for it, considering that by remaining behind, he was right under Renfro's nose.

But 511 was right. They all knew the game, and knew the risks associated with it.

Taking a deep breath, Alec said, "There was someone else with her. Her partner."

511 frowned, his fingers stilling on the keyboard. "The one I was fighting with the last time?"

Alec shook his head. "No. This is a different one."

"Must be another Unitech personnel."

"Yeah. There was something suspicious about him. We fought, and as usual, I held back a little since he's an Ordinary. The strange thing is, I had this feeling that he was holding back as well."

511's eyes rounded. "Not possible."

Alec shrugged. "Not possible for an Ordinary. But I don't think he's one. I suspect that he might be another X5."

511's jaw dropped. "What was he doing there? It's our mission, not his." Falling silent, his brow furrowed in thought and he tapped his fingers against the desk. After a while, he smacked his hand flat down. "Maybe he's undercover at Unitech."

"That's what I thought as well. And that's why we're here."

"Why would Manticore send two teams out on the same mission?"

"I don't think he had the same brief. He's probably after something else. Maybe sent to spy on Unitech or something."

511 looked thoughtful. "Renfro never told us where she got her info from. You think he's been feeding Unitech's info back to Manticore?"

"That would explain why we keep turning up at the same places," Alec said thoughtfully, tapping a few more passwords that came to mind.

Then the computer beeped and the screen flashed 'ACCESS GRANTED'.

Alec sat back, his lips parted. The password was so ridiculously simple.

511 rushed to him and leaned over his shoulders. "You got in!" he exclaimed excitedly. "What was it?"

"Universal soldiers," Alec told him, hardly believing it himself. He actually managed to get into Manticore's prototype database.

Then he grinned. He cracked his knuckles before rubbing his hands together, exchanging a gleeful look with 511. This was it. He hit another key, bringing up the list of designations, and then he set the filters to search for males X5s.

When he clicked 'SCROLL', the images of each male X5 began to flash on the screen.

"Come on, come on," he muttered under his breath.

"We're not even sure he's one of us, man," 511 said beside him.

"If he's not, then Manticore got some competition on their hands," Alec said grimly, his eyes not leaving the screen.

"Hmm, in that case, do you think they'd recruit us?" 511 asked jokingly.

Alec snorted. "If it means working with that nightmare of a female, I think I'd pass."

511 laughed out loud. "You've got real issues with that girl. I can tell."

Alec scowled. "I'll let you handle her next time. We'll see what you have to say after that." Then an image caught his eyes. He instantly hit a button, freezing the screen.

The image of a male X5 with cropped brown hair and green eyes stared back at him, his expression carefully blank like the rest of the transgenics.

"494?"

Letting out his breath slowly, Alec declared with absolute certainty, "That's him."

…………………………..

**t.b.c. **

A/N: I hope you've enjoyed that. No MA, I know, but the story needs to move on. Please review and let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, guys! I'm glad you've enjoyed the last chapter, even though there was no MA!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 13**

(by elle6778)

Max opened her eyes and groaned at the soreness she felt in her shoulders.

Wanting to know how long she had been out, she brought her wrist to her eyes just to find her watch missing. Jack or Zack must have taken it back to HQ for data analysis, she deduced. Hopefully there would be something useful in there after all the trouble she had gone through to get it.

She propped herself up in the unfamiliar bed in the spare room, shaking her head slightly to clear the cobwebs from it before she directed her gaze to the clock mounted on the wall. It was 0900 hours in the morning. The blood transfusion from Zack and the night's rest must have done some good because now she did not feel as washed out as she had done yesterday.

_Yesterday…_

_Alec…_

She grimaced, irritated that he had to invade her mind so early in the morning. Not only the guy was a pain in the ass during her mission, but now he had the nerve to invade her personal time.

Looking down, she realised that she only had her underwear on. She frowned, not remembering if she had undressed herself or someone else had done it. Her weariness must have really caught up with her and she had probably passed out during the transfusion, seeing that she could not recall much of the event.

Rolling off the side of the bed, she stepped to her backpack. She needed to bring it home and unpack. Her eyes went to her clothes which were slung over the back of a chair. As she picked them up to toss them into the laundry bin, something fell out.

Alec's toolkit.

She had forgotten that she still had it. Picking it up, she held it in front of her eyes. It was a plain object with no markings, but the quality was good. She would bring it with her later. Maybe someone would recognise the make.

As she pulled out some fresh underwear she had packed in the bag yesterday, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Alec had been through the stuff her 'cover' apartment. Did that mean that he had riffled through her personal stuff? Like her clothes? That was just sick, she thought in distaste, holding up one of her bra gingerly. Had Alec touched this one? Should she wear it?

Finally throwing it down in irritation, Max stood over the bag and glowered at it. The idea of wearing the underwear that Alec might have touched made her strangely uncomfortable.

_It's just clothes, for crying out loud, Max,_ her inner voice admonished sternly.

Max rolled her eyes as she reached back to unclip her bra. She knew it was just clothes. But it was something personal to her.

_Unlike your lips, huh, Max?_ The voice mocked.

The images that she had been blocking since the unexpected event suddenly flashed before her eyes.

She flushed at the memory.

It was weird. Now that she looked back, she suddenly noticed so much more. Like the way his breath had fanned her cheeks as he hesitated for a mere second before his lips touched hers. Like how his tongue had teased her bottom lip before he sucked on it. Like how his throat had emitted a low growl so soft that she did not think that he had even realised it himself.

She tensed. What was she thinking? That kiss was something she had hoped not to recall anytime soon. Let alone replay the event in her head.

That was it. She needed to speak to either Sandeman or Lydecker about what she suspected about Alec soon. Also there was no way she was going to carry on with the mission without informing them about the risks.

Then maybe Alec would stay out of her head once and for all.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Alec threw in another change of clothes into his bag while 511 stared on.

"Man, this is not a good idea," 511 remarked with a frown on his face.

Looking up briefly from his task, Alec replied, "I have to do it. We don't know where Ivanov is hiding right now and time is something we don't have. Renfro's going to toss us straight into Psy-Ops if she finds out that we've got nothing."

"But asking Seth, or 354 for help is not exactly a foolproof plan. Who knows if he would even hand us the information Unitech has on Ivanov? What if he reports you to Renfro?"

Alec shook his head. "Not likely. The guy's based in Wyoming. He reports to Sandoval."

"I'm sure Sandoval and Renfro compare notes from time to time," 511 declared flatly.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Alec challenged, "You have a better idea? One which does not involve our incarceration in Punishment or Psy-Ops?"

511 groaned. "Look, man. It just seems a little risky to be counting on a guy we barely know. Not to mention he did not seem too friendly the last time you guys met."

Alec shrugged. "We're all X5s. I'll try to make him understand. After all, it's all Manticore missions."

"Doesn't it strike you as strange that Renfro had sent us to the very same place that Sandoval had sent 354? Not to mention that there's no record of that Unitech mission in the files."

"That doesn't mean anything. Lots of our deep cover missions are not recorded on file."

511 shook his head. "I go on record as saying that this is a bad idea. A very bad idea."

"So long as the record doesn't end up in Renfro's hand, I'm okay with that," Alec said with a smirk.

A short pause followed, and then 511 suggested, "I should go out in the field with you. That way, you'll have some physical backup."

"I think I'll be fine."

511 snorted. "You call getting tranq-ed fine? 354 and Max watches each others back. You have no one. That was how you got hit in the first place."

"Good point," Alec assented thoughtfully. Maybe it would be better for 511 to be with him, considering that he now knew what he was up against. He could handle Ordinaries, but Seth being in the picture kind of threw everything off-balance.

But much as he disliked the thought of asking Seth for help, Alec knew that he needed to. For his own sake, he needed to get along with the guy at least until he got what he wanted.

"So, do you know where we're going?"

"Find Max, and we'll find our friend."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Find Lydecker, and the information would get to Sandeman, Max thought as she sped down the almost deserted highway. Trees on either side of the road flashed past, occasionally broken by a road or two crisscrossing the one she was on.

Good thing Lydecker did not live far from the compound. Max did not think she would be patient enough for a long drive, which she would probably have to suffer through if she had chosen to look for Sandeman.

The old man was elusive to say the least. But Max guessed he had a good reason for it. Having Manticore on one's trail was one heck of a good reason. But he had been away for too long, even by his usual standards. The last time she had seen him was about half a year ago, when he had decided to pop into the Unitech headquarters to see how they were doing.

It was just short of noon when she pulled into an underground carpark. After securing her bike, she made her way to the lift which brought her up to his apartment. The complex was very basic, and nondescript enough to avoid attention.

Max's lips twitched. It was funny how wary all of them were of Manticore, even after all these years. In a way, she wondered if they would ever stop being that cautious. She would have thought that if Manticore had not caught on by now, they never would.

Well, apart from Sandeman's case, of course. The disappearance of the creator of the transgenics was sure to attract a lot of attention. But Sandeman was smart enough to keep a very low profile.

Lydecker was another matter. Manticore did not know of Lydecker's significance in the entire picture since he had left the place a couple of years after the incident, having claimed that he wanted to retire. So far, it would seem that Manticore had not suspected him of anything. However, they all knew that they could not be too careful.

She grinned. As for her and her siblings, surely Manticore would not go looking for something they had never realised was missing. Now that she was much older and wiser than her nine-year-old self, she could not help being amazed by the length Unitech had gone through to get them.

She sobered at the thought. One thing she must not forget was the price everyone paid for the escape. Sandeman and Unitech had drummed it into them countless times as they were growing up. It was something which, although regrettable, could not be fixed just like that.

But Unitech was working on it, she reminded herself as she arrived at Lydecker's apartment.

And she hoped that it would be enough.

She raised her hand to knock on the door, but before she made contact, the door swung open. Her jaw dropped when she saw who was standing in front of her.

Seth looked just as surprised as she was, but recovered his ability for speech first.

"Max. Hi," he greeted. Then pointing a thumb backwards, he said, "I guess you're looking for Lydecker, huh?"

"Yeah," she said slowly, wondering what was Seth doing there. Perhaps he had arrived at the same conclusion as she had done? Stepping aside to let him pass, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Had to make a report," he replied briefly.

"About yesterday?"

"Partly, yes," he said in a guarded voice.

Max narrowed her eyes. He was being irritatingly cryptic as usual. "I take it you're not going to elaborate on that."

Seth sighed, choosing not to reply.

"Right." Walking through the door, she looked over her shoulders and said, "One day you're going to have to come clean, you know. We're all supposed to be family. And it gets kinda weird when one member seems to be slipping further and further away."

Seth looked at her sharply. But before he could say anything, she shut the door behind her.

"What was that all about?"

Max raised her eyebrows at the man in front of her. Then she shrugged carelessly. "Nothing."

Lydecker gave her a knowing look. "He's just doing what he thinks is best, Max. Making him feel bad won't help anything."

Rolling her eyes, Max said dismissively, "Yeah. Somehow, I'm not surprised that you're defending him. I wonder why." She paused and pretended to think. "Oh, could it be because the orders came from _you_?"

Instead of answering, Lydecker gestured to the couch. "Have a seat."

"Evasive tactics, huh? Learning from your own lessons, Deck?" Max said as she dropped herself onto the couch. "So, what was Seth doing here?"

Lydecker sat down beside her. "I'm sure you didn't come here to discuss Seth, Max. So what is it?"

Knowing that Lydecker would not say anything more on the subject, Max let it go. She was not here to discuss Seth anyway.

"You know the weapons mission? The mission Unitech had me down for? The one involving this guy Ivanov?"

"I know about it. I was the one who suggested that you might enjoy it."

She gave him a droll look. "Gee, thanks, Deck. Like you don't know how much I hate these missions."

Lydecker chuckled. "Think of it as a job, Max. That's all it is. A job. So, what about the mission?"

"To make this short, I think Manticore's after the same thing."

"Why do you say that?"

"'Cause another guy is after the blueprints as well. And I think he might be an X5." She took out Alec's toolkit from her pocket. "This belongs to him. Thought you might recognise it from your Manticore days."

"Hmm…" Lydecker studied the object with an unreadable expression on his face. Then he looked up from the toolkit in his hands. "This looks like what Manticore would issue to its soldiers, but it's not one I've seen before."

"You don't seem surprised, Deck. Did Seth mention something?"

Lydecker nodded, and then stood up. "So, Manticore's after the same thing. That makes things a little more complicated," he said with a frown.

"Tell me about it. After all these years, the last thing we want is for Manticore to catch on to happened back then. And if the guy works out that I'm an X5 as well, I'm sure Manticore would hear about it. The thing is, what about the mission?"

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go back in. Someone else have to take your place. Jondy, perhaps?" Lydecker suggested, looking thoughtful.

"She's not back yet."

"Tinga?"

Max shook her head. "Eva and Zane's with her now. Something happened, I think," she said worriedly.

Lydecker looked surprised. "What happened? I wasn't told."

Max said quickly, "None of us know anything. Eva didn't say much to Jack when she left with Zane."

"I should get into contact with her."

Nodding, Max agreed. "Hopefully it's nothing big."

"Wait here," Lydecker instructed as he went for his phone. Picking it up, he dialled a number from memory and waited.

"Eva?" he began.

Max sat straighter, her attention fixed to the phone in Lydecker's hand as she strained to hear the conversation.

"_Deck! This is a surprise,"_ Eva said.

"Where are you now?"

"_Seeing to something. Why?"_

"What is this I'm hearing about Tinga having some problems?"

A short pause followed. _"She's with me now. We'll tell you when we get back in a day or two. It's not something we can explain over the phone."_

Max exchanged a curious look with Lydecker. Turning back to the phone, he said, "Make sure you do that." And then hung up.

Max was surprised that Lydecker had not pushed for more. "That's it?"

"Apparently so. We'll just have to wait then."

"Well, I guess since they're heading back soon, it can't be that bad, right?"

Lydecker snorted. "When it comes to you X5s, anything could happen."

"Hey, you're the one who let us out, remember?" she remarked with a grin.

"I feel like I've been relegated to the role of a nanny ever since you came out, such a waste of my military background."

"Aw, don't feel so bad about it, Deck. You did instruct the others on our training regime for a while," she pointed out. Then she sighed, "So what are we going to do about Ivanov? I guess both Zane and I are out of the picture, huh? Not to mention Seth?"

Lydecker nodded. "We'll see what Eva comes back with. Then maybe the idea would be to send her out instead."

"It's your call, Deck," Max said as she stood up and stretched. "I've gotta blaze. Need to check on something back in HQ."

Lydecker tilted his head at her. "I'll let you know once I've discussed things with Sandeman."

Then she left.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The rain showered down from the sky relentlessly, making his hair stick to his head in an uncomfortable mass. Alec rubbed the water droplets off his eyelashes as he walked down the street with 511 by his side.

"They could be out of town for all we know, 494."

Alec continued to scan his surroundings, only listening to his partner with half an ear. They had been at it for three days now, but Seth and Max seemed to have disappeared off the face of the planet. They had scoured practically the entire city without success and Alec was beginning to have second thoughts about his plans.

Maybe 511 was right. Max and Seth could be out of town for all he knew. That would make things hard for him. His face set in grim lines, Alec began to walk across the street towards the marketplace.

"We'll have a quick look around this place, and then we go," he told 511 as they entered the market which provided them a certain amount of reprieve from the rain.

The smell was the first thing that hit his senses, making him cringe involuntarily. They had just entered the fresh produce section to be surrounded by squawking chickens and hollering sellers. This mission was getting worse and worse, Alec thought irritably.

"This place stinks," 511 remarked grumpily as they walked. "Somehow, I can't see 354 hanging out here."

"But Max might," Alec pointed out as he sidestepped a rotten cabbage on the floor. Ordinaries did not seem to find the smell overpowering like the transgenics did. "The smell isn't going to be as bad for her as it is for us."

"Hmm…I wonder what she's going to think if she finds out what he actually is."

Alec knew that 511 was talking about Seth. Glancing out of the corner of his eyes at his partner, he said, "I don't think he would be that careless." And then he frowned as he recalled the interaction between Seth and Max. "He seemed very protective, though. Maybe he has real feelings for her."

511 raised an eyebrow. "Jealous, 494?"

Alec stopped abruptly. He could not believe what he had just heard. "Are you crazy? Jealous of what? The girl's a menace. He can have her, for all the trouble she's worth!" he exclaimed as he gave 511 an incredulous look.

511's shoulders shook with laughter. "Man, you're protesting just a little bit too much there."

Glaring at 511, Alec replied darkly, "That's just not funny."

511 smirked. "Right."

Still glowering, Alec continued to scan the marketplace. Inwardly, 511's words remained with him.

He meant what he had said. There was no way he was jealous of Seth's relationship with Max. Why should he be jealous, anyway? It was not like he wanted Max for himself. The girl had been nothing but a pain ever since he had encountered her in the first mission. He had sustained more bruises and battering in the short time he had known her than he could remember ever having in his previous missions.

_But you sure liked the kiss, huh, Alec?_

Alec frowned. He had only kissed her because he wanted to shut her up. It was not as if he had found her irresistible or anything like that. She had not even returned his kiss. It had been like kissing an unresponsive brick wall.

_Yeah, right. Kissing a brick wall that was so soft and sweet that you had to forcefully push the memory to the back of your mind so that you wouldn't think about it?_

Alright, maybe not a brick wall. But definitely unresponsive. Hell, he did not know what to think. It was too confusing. All he knew was that she was a rival and that was all, nothing else. Thinking about her in any other way would affect his mission and that was something he could not afford. It was too dangerous.

She was too dangerous.

511's voice broke into his thoughts. "Hey, there's a girl matching your description over there."

Alec quickly turned, suddenly alert. The moment he set his eyes on the dark haired girl, he sagged inwardly. Sighing in exasperation, he muttered, "No. That's not her."

511 rubbed his temples. "Maybe we should call it quits for today."

"Yeah," Alec agreed. He had enough for today.

Just as he turned to leave, he caught sight of a flash of dark hair out of the corner of his eyes. He focussed harder, and then caught the side profile of the girl. His breath caught.

It was Max.

"Wait. I think I see her."

His heart pounding in anticipation, Alec rushed in the direction towards her, trying to push past the Ordinaries without attracting too much attention.

Then he halted in his tracks. She had disappeared into the crowd which was leaving the market. _No!_ His eyes darted around frantically. This was the closest he had got to her in days and he would not allow her to slip away.

Then he saw her again. She was walking very briskly towards a side street, seemingly in a hurry.

"There," Alec exclaimed as he made a beeline for her.

511 grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Hey! She's gonna run when she sees you. And we can't afford to manhandle her in public," 511 pointed out. "Maybe I should approach her. Catch her off guard."

Alec hesitated for a second before he digested 511's words. "Yeah. That's probably a good idea. Now, go before she escapes."

He watched as 511 ran to the side street and continued at a slower pace. It would give 511 enough time to work his charms on her. Women generally found it difficult to resist the guy, Alec acknowledged. But somehow, the thought of 511 charming Max left a sour taste in his mouth.

_Snap out of it, soldier! This is nothing but a mission and she's a rival,_ he scolded himself sternly. If his hormones were craving a female, then fine, he would go work his charms on some convenient and available female. There were plenty of them around, and he had never been rejected before.

_Except for Max._

Pushing all his wayward thoughts to the back of his mind, Alec stepped closer to the side street, treading softly so that he would not give away his presence. Just around the corner from the street, he paused to listen.

It was silent.

Way too silent, he thought with a frown. Max could not have possibly taken 511 down, could she? But before Alec could take another step, he heard something.

Something which sounded suspiciously like a moan. Not the sort that someone made when they were in pain, but something else.

He could have sworn that was the street which 511 had followed Max into. His frowned. What was going on there?

He needed to check. Tensing in readiness, he spun around and turned into the side street.

What he saw made his jaw drop.

Sheltered from the rain under an overhanging balcony above, 511 and Max were locked in an embrace. Max was pushed up against the wall with her legs wrapped around 511's hips and he was devouring her lips like he could not get enough of her. And Max seemed to be responding just as heatedly.

Not so unresponsive after all, he thought absently through the shock which had rooted him to the spot.

Then it hit him.

The scent was faint at that distance, diluted by the pouring rain, but it hit him like a sledgehammer.

Suddenly he felt on the edge. His eyes widened disbelievingly. He knew what the scent was, and its implication boggled his mind.

Unknowingly, he whispered out loud, "Not possible. It can't be."

511's hands were tangled in Max's dark locks as he continued to kiss her and Max was humping against his hips uncontrollably. The sight made Alec's blood boil, and he was not sure if it was because of his own growing arousal or something else.

All he knew was that he could not stand to watch any more of the display.

Without thinking further, he rushed out of the rain under the overhang and yanked 511 roughly off Max. Losing her support, Max tumbled to the ground with a cry of outrage.

"Hey!" 511 protested indignantly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Alec yelled harshly as he shook his partner.

511 shook his head as if to clear it, but before he could say anything, Max stepped towards them. Alec dropped his hold on 511 as his attention was drawn to her.

"Hey, Alec," she crooned, her eyes running up and down his body. The sway of her hips was hypnotising as she made her way towards him.

All thoughts of 511 disappeared from his mind in an instant. Involuntarily, Alec took a step towards her. Her scent assaulted his senses, making him light-headed with arousal. Images of them locked together with him thrusting in a heated frenzy filled his mind. All Alec wanted at that moment was to grab her and give her what her eyes were begging for.

"It's nice to see you here," she said, her voice like melted honey. "You wanna come closer?"

His eyes darkened. "As close as you can handle, baby." But before Alec could get to her, he found himself thrown out into the rain.

Apparently 511 had the same idea as well. "Not while I'm here, 494," he snarled angrily.

Alec groaned. The impact against the ground had knocked a certain amount of clarity into his head. The cold droplets of rain showering against his face helped as well. He pulled himself to his feet, shaking his head roughly. Taking care to avoid Max, he snapped at 511, "You're not thinking clearly. Can't you see that she's in heat?"

"Heat?" 511's brow furrowed as he appeared to think. And then to Alec's dismay, the heated look came back. "Just back off, alright? I saw her first."

"You leave me with no choice then."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Hope you've enjoyed that. Hehe…Wonder what's gonna happen to them now. Please review and let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! A short note on updates here… My parents are visiting for a couple of weeks so it'll be hard for me to find time to update. So the next one will be a little delayed. Hope you'll still keep on reading, though!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 14**

(by elle6778)

"You leave me with no choice then."

The swiftness of the attack caught 511 by surprise. Before he could block, Alec had landed a punch on the side of his face, throwing his head back with a snap.

Alec stepped back, watching warily as 511 wiped a hand across his bleeding lips, his brown eyes glinting with annoyance. Hopefully that punch would have knocked some sense into him, Alec thought.

A faint waft of Max's scent found its way to him through the rain. Alec groaned and then consciously made his breathing shallower to avoid inhaling too much of her pheromones. Of all ways to find out that she was a transgenic, it had to be this one. He forced himself to focus on 511, who was approaching him, jaw clenched with determination. This was no time to be distracted, Alec told himself, firmly pushing all thoughts of Max to the back of his mind.

He sidestepped just in time to avoid a blow to his midsection, and then spun around to drive a kick into 511's side. Ready this time, 511 blocked the kick and retaliated with swift backhand which caught Alec in the face.

Staggering back from the impact, Alec glared at 511 angrily. He knew that he had to get 511 and himself out of there before they did something stupid like kill each other to get to Max. But the guy was obviously in no state to listen. Alec had no choice. Partner or not, he was going to have to take 511 down.

He blurred forward, slamming his body into 511, throwing the other guy against the wall not far from Max. Just as 511 got up, Alec stepped into the sheltered space and gave him a well-placed blow in the head, sending him flying back out in the rain.

511 hit the ground on his side, and then laid still.

Alec was about to step out to 511 when a slight pressure on his back made him freeze.

"Alec..." His name dripped like honey from her tongue.

Then her scent penetrated his focus, wrenching his attention away from 511. The scent was hot, thick and heavy. Alec felt his mind cloud as his hormones took over. Oh, hell! Somehow he had neglected to remain in the rain, the one place which Max seemed to stay out of.

Her fingers trailed down his spine, making him shiver. He knew he needed to move away but his limbs refused to obey his mind.

He closed his eyes as he muttered, "No. Don't."

But her touch became bolder, moving from back up to his shoulders. He took a step forward in an attempt to escape her, and felt something crunch beneath his boots. A quick glance downwards told him that it was a mobile phone. Then his attention was drawn to the fingers which were playing with his ears.

"Stop it, Max! You don't know what you're doing!" he gritted out, holding himself very still. He would not give in to it, he promised himself. It was just his hormones, nothing more. All he had to do was to move away from her back out into the rain.

"I think I do," she purred into his ear.

Those hands wandered down his shoulders to wrap themselves around his chest.

Alec sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes snapped open. Roughly, he yanked her hands off him and jumped away. As he turned around to face her, his feet took a few steps back.

Wrong move.

Now that he was facing her, he could see the flush of her skin and the arousal in her eyes. His hormones jumped in happiness, much to Alec's dismay. He wanted to move away, but found himself unable to do so.

She sidled towards him, her eyes dilated in arousal, as she ran a hand from the curve of her neck slowly down to her belly.

Heat exploded inside him in response to her blatant invitation.

His hormones won the battle over his mind.

With a growl, he closed the gap between them. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back. She did not protest. In fact, she seemed to be even more aroused by his rough display.

Then his lips found hers. It was hot, sweet and soft. Her tongue tangled with his, giving him a taste of her. Her responses were unrestrained as she pulled him closer, her hands gripping his neck tightly.

His hands wandered down her neck in the wake of her hands earlier to end up just above her jeans. Then he swept them upwards, under her top. His palms felt burnt by the satiny soft skin he encountered there.

He broke the kiss, strangely satisfied by the soft mewl of protest Max made at his action. Then he latched on to her neck, biting and sucking at the soft skin there. Moaning with pleasure, she arched her neck to give him better access, her hands clamped to the back of his neck to hold him in place.

Encouraged, he slid his hands up to cup her breasts. Her respond was immediate. Her hands went to his shoulders and with a jump, her legs were wrapped tight around his hips. He let out a guttural groan. The rocking motion she was making against him was making him lose control.

Then a cold, wet hand grabbed his neck, startling him.

"What the…" he started.

Before he had the chance to finish his sentence, he found himself rudely yanked off and thrown onto the ground. Rain spattered over his face, washing away her scent. There was a throbbing pain in his left arm where he hit the ground. _Damn it!_ Dashing the rainwater out of his eyes, he blinked rapidly.

His mind gradually cleared.

His eyes went to the sheltered area to find Max slumped on the ground with 511 hovering over her. She was obviously knocked out. Unwittingly, a protective growl rose in his throat.

"511?" he snarled as he sprang to his feet.

511 looked at him over his shoulder before he stood up and marched back out into the rain. To Alec's surprise, he had a blue strip of fabric over his mouth and nose. Then he noticed that the bottom of 511's shirt was torn.

Pulling the fabric down, 511 barked, "Snap out of it, man." Thrusting a piece of fabric in front of Alec's face, he continued, "Cover yourself and whatever you do, think with your head."

Calming down slightly at 511's biting words, Alec took the fabric.

511 shook his head as he exhaled. "That was close. A couple off minutes more and it'll be too late for me to do anything."

Alec scowled at the veiled reprimand. "If I remember correctly, you didn't handle it all that well either."

511 straightened defensively. "She caught me by surprise, alright." He looked back at Max, and then shook his head slowly. "Another X5. She must have been really good if she managed to fool even you."

"I didn't see this one coming," Alec muttered, wondering to himself how he could have possibly missed the signs the she was not an Ordinary. Now that he thought back, it was all there. He just had not seen it.

"You even fought with her, right? Hand to hand?"

Understanding 511's unspoken question, Alec glowered. "It wasn't that easy to tell, alright! She was holding back and so was I."

511 smirked. "Unless you were too busy paying attention to _other_ things…" Then he sobered. "You know, I'm not sure this is the best time to get her to spill the beans about Ivanov or 354. I'm not sure it's a good idea to go near her at all."

"I can handle it," Alec said tightly.

His eyes went back to Max momentarily, and he swallowed hard. It was easier said than done. Especially when he could still practically taste her in his mouth.

Then she stirred. A soft moan escaped her lips just before her eyes snapped open. It took her barely a second to pin her eyes on them.

She stood up.

Both of them tensed immediately, exchanging an apprehensive glance with each other. The feeling of being frozen to the spot returned to him as she started walking towards them, like a predator stalking its preys.

An unconscious female in heat was one thing. A conscious, determined female in heat was another thing. And Max looked as if she meant to get her hands on at least one of them, whatever it took.

Unconsciously, Alec began to back away, keeping his eyes trained on her. Beside him, 511 did the same.

After a couple of retreating steps, he halted abruptly.

His brow furrowed in irritation. "Why the hell are we backing away?"

511 gave him a bewildered look, and then his expression turned indignant. "You're handling this, remember?" he pointed out. "I'm just following your lead."

Alec tossed him a disgusted look. "The mission's too important to let our hormones get in the way. We're taking her even if it means that we'd have to hold our breath all the way."

"We might have to," 511 muttered under his breath. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he asked, "So what's the plan?"

Alec glanced quickly at the bag 511 had left beside the wall earlier. "Did you pack the medical kit?"

511 rolled his eyes. "It's standard, 494," he replied flatly.

"We need the tranquilizer and the hormone inhibitor, for both male and female," he said in a low tone, not wanting Max to hear him.

511's eyes widened in understanding. And then, frowning slightly, he asked quietly, "What's stopping her from jumping me while I'm going for it?"

"She won't. I'll distract her. You grab the shots from the bag. Remember to dose yourself."

"Why do you get the better end of the deal while I do the legwork?" 511 protested indignantly.

"Hey, I'm sacrificing myself here," Alec remarked with a smirk.

"You're unbelievable," 511 muttered under his breath.

Alec just grinned. "Ready?"

511 gave him a curt nod.

As 511 sped directly to the bag, Alec focussed his attention on Max and stepped towards her. For a second, she halted in her tracks, looking back and forth between 511 and him like she did not know who to go for, and then her eyes were drawn back to him.

Her scent very much diluted by the damp cloth covering his mouth and nose, Alec felt more confident of approaching her. An inviting smile broke out on her face as she stepped towards him, closing the gap between them.

An uncontrollable shiver of anticipation ran up Alec's spine at the way she was looking at him. He forcibly clamped it down, urging himself to focus on his mission.

_The mission, the mission_, he repeated like a mantra in his head.

She touched him. The brush of her hands against the side of his face was light, but it was electrifying. His temperature rose.

_The mission. THE MISSION!_

"Shouldn't cover your face, Alec," she breathed out as she ran her palms down his chest to land on his stomach.

Alec gulped. It took all the will he possessed to keep himself from wrapping his arms around her and throwing her to the ground. Where the hell was 511?

A dark shape streaked towards them, and then Max's eyes widened for a second before she lurched forward. His arms reached out automatically to catch her before she could fall.

Carefully, Alec lowered her unconscious body to the ground. As he looked at her peaceful features, he was struck by a myriad of emotions. Lust, frustration, relief and strangely enough, guilt.

511 stood up over her and passed a syringe with a full vial of pale yellow liquid to Alec. "Let's go. The car's just round the corner. We should be able to get that far without attracting attention."

Alec shook his head as he took the hormone inhibitor from 511. "We can't bring her back to Manticore."

"Why not?" 511 asked, obviously confused.

Alec injected himself with the male counterpart of what 511 had given Max earlier. "The same reason as why we didn't tell Manticore about 354. Blowing their cover isn't going to help anything."

511 glanced at him sceptically. "I'm not sure I agree with you. But it's your call."

Alec gave him an uncertain look. "Yeah."

"So what now?"

"We need to go somewhere quiet, somewhere secure. We'll talk when she wakes up."

"The tranquiliser lasts only 7 or 8 hours, even with the high dosage we gave her. The inhibitor will last 24 hours. We don't have much time before her heat returns."

Alec sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We need to go back for more."

"Fine. You go, and I'll watch her."

Alec gave 511 an assessing look. "No. You'll come with me," he finally said.

511's expression turned incredulous. "What? And leave her here after all the trouble we've gone through to find her?"

"She'll still be knocked out when we get back."

Raising an eyebrow, 511 asked with a cheeky grin, "You don't trust me? Even after I shot us all up with the inhibitor."

"That's not it, and you know it," Alec replied gruffly.

A huge grin spread over 511's face. "Admit it, 494. You can't handle the thought that I might do something."

Irritated at what 511 was implying, Alec snapped, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You seem to have the hots for Max here," 511 pointed out, completely unperturbed by Alec's tone.

Alec snorted. "Don't make me laugh."

511 gave him a knowing look. "In denial, are we?" he teased, and then continued in a more serious tone, "Look, I'm just pointing out what I see. Be careful, 494. Personal relationships are not encouraged."

"I don't need you to tell me that."

"Good."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

They had left Max with her wrists and feet restrained in the Manticore issue silver 2015 Chevy Corvette Z32, its tinted screen obscuring her from view. The abandoned warehouse they had found should be secure enough for a few hours until they returned.

With all that, it had been two hours since 511 had given Max her shots before they finally arrived back at Manticore's Seattle base. At the security checkpoint, the two of them stood still in front of a scanner until their identities were verified. Then the gate clanked open.

The guards stopped them just as they walked through. "Wait," one of them said as he went back to the security office.

Alec exchanged an apprehensive look with 511, wondering what it was all about.

When the guard returned, he handed a small note to 511.

511 took it and scanned through it. Then he held up the note worriedly. "Renfro wants to see us."

Renfro sure picked a great time, Alec thought irritably. They needed to get hold of more hormone inhibitor and tranquilizer and bring it back to Max. But if Renfro decided to throw them into Punishment, Max would wake up by herself and would probably attack some unsuspecting male once her hormone returned to its previous state.

Without answering, Alec nudged towards the building. "Let's go."

An idea suddenly occurred to him as they walked into the building. Turning to 511, he said, "Tell Renfro that I have to go back out immediately to get the disk on Ivanov."

511's eyes rounded in surprise. "What? You can't be serious. She knows that you're in here."

"I'll be quick and will be out of here in no time," Alec reassured him.

"You're deliberately refusing an order, 494," 511 said with a worried frown.

Alec shrugged. "Well, it's either that or we risk losing Max altogether. And hence, losing Ivanov."

511 sighed. "She's going to kill us."

Alec grinned. "Max or Renfro?"

511 scowled. "Both," he muttered darkly before he walked away in the direction of Renfro's office.

Alec immediately hurried in the opposite direction towards the infirmary. He hoped that he would manage to distract the nurse on duty enough so that he did not have to explain his odd request of additional hormone inhibitors.

If it was that blonde nurse from two months ago, then he should not have too much of a problem, he thought with a grin. Not that he intended to do anything with her, now that…

He halted in his tracks when he realised the direction his thoughts were taking.

His inner voice mocked him. _Now that you got Max in your mind?_

He scowled as he began to move again. It was just the after-effects of her heat, that was all. The only thing he needed Max for was to hand over the information on Ivanov. Nothing more.

He preferred blondes anyway.

Footsteps sounded behind him, but lost in his thoughts, he did not bother to turn around.

Suddenly, Alec found himself shoved hard against the wall. "What the-" he began indignantly.

And stared right into Seth's blazing green eyes.

"What have you done to her?" Seth snarled viciously, his grip as tight as a vice.

Feigning innocence, Alec widened his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. So don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you," Seth gritted out. He inhaled and his eyes narrowed immediately. "I can _smell_ her on you!"

A loud thud sounded as Alec felt his back impacting against the cold, hard wall again. Damn it! It was not as if Seth did not know what it was like to be in the vicinity of a female in heat. It was not as if he could help it when Max threw herself at him. What the hell was Seth doing getting physically and emotionally involved in another X5 anyway? Seth should be focussed on his mission, not something else. Not Max.

And what the hell was Seth doing, pinning him against the wall?

Annoyed, Alec gave him a hard shove. "Get your hands off me!" he ordered harshly.

Seth held on to his shoulders with an uncompromising grip. "Then tell me where she is!"

Alec gave him a hard stare. "Start a fight here and both of us will end up in Punishment. Is that what you want, 354?" he asked pointedly.

Seth's eyes flickered momentarily, and then he loosened his grip.

Shrugging his shirt back into place, Alec took a step away from Seth, eyeing him cautiously. He needed Seth on his side as well if he wanted help with the Ivanov situation. But Seth, in his present state of mind, probably would not be so accommodating, Alec thought with an inward sigh. The only leverage he had was Max.

"Don't make me do something that both of us would regret," Seth warned coldly. "Where's Max?"

Alec kept his face impassive as he replied, "She's safe."

Seth's jaw ticked. "She's in heat," he said stonily.

Alec kept his surprise hidden. How did Seth know about her heat? And how did he find them so fast? This guy was really beginning to bug him, Alec thought sourly.

Then he remembered the phone he had crushed under his boots earlier. Max must have called Seth for help. Alec's mood suddenly darkened at the thought.

Seth asked levelly, but there was no mistaking the threat in his words. "Did you touch her?"

There was no way Seth would believe him if he said no, considering that Max's scent still lingered all over him. The irrational part of him wanted to rub it in Seth face, letting him know how hot Max's responses had been. But saying yes would tantamount to suicide.

Self-preservation won.

"I think we both know that it's best that I don't answer that question," Alec replied dryly.

Seth looked as if he was about to say something. And then he seemed to think the better of it. "Where's she? What do you want with her?" he finally asked.

This was it. The opening he was looking for.

Taking a deep breath, Alec started, "Look. I don't know what your mission is, but I'm guessing it's something to do with Unitech. The problem is, you're getting into the way of _my _mission. And somehow, I don't think Manticore would send two teams out to retrieve the same info."

Seth gave him a knowing look. "You want the info Max retrieved from Ivanov's place."

Alec nodded. "To make things worse, Renfro had asked to see us. 511 had gone to her, making an excuse about how I need to wrap up something on Ivanov. If I return empty handed, both of us will end up in Punishment."

Seth raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I care?"

Alec's lips tightened. "Let's just look at it as a trade. You hand me the info on Ivanov, and I'll bring you to Max. Or else I'll bring Max back here and show Manticore how incompetent the Wyoming soldiers are at deep cover missions."

Seth clenched his fists. "Do that and I won't be responsible for my actions."

"Then I guess we agree that the best way forward is to help each other out?" Alec asked, raising an eyebrow.

Seth appeared to consider his offer, and then finally nodded in assent.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

They left as soon as Alec had replenished his stock of the female hormone inhibitor, injecting himself and Seth with the male counterpart as a precaution.

The guards at the security checkpoint watched them as they approached. For a moment, Alec feared that the guards would not let him through the gates, but thankfully, they did.

The ride to the abandoned warehouse took them only half an hour, the two of them sitting in silence the entire trip. When they reached their destination, Alec checked his watch. They had been gone only three hours. Max should still be out, he thought as they got out of the car and began to head towards the warehouse.

Alec's eyes narrowed when he noticed the door, which was slightly ajar. He could have sworn that 511 had closed it behind him. A feeling of apprehension began to build in him. Had she managed to somehow escape already?

His steps quickened as he hurried forward. Sensing the urgency in Alec's steps, Seth followed suit.

When he pushed the door open and entered the dark space, Alec expelled a relieved breath. The car was still there. Surely Max would have taken the car if she had escaped.

"Where's she?" Seth asked tersely.

Alec turned to face the other transgenic. "In the car," he replied as he made his way to the car.

He yanked the door open.

And then his heart skipped a beat.

Alec gaped as he stared at the empty back seat of the car. The tranquilizer should still be in effect for another three or four hours. Max could not have just walked away even if she managed to get her restraints off. She would have been too disoriented. What had happened to her?

Seth turned to him, his eyes blazing with barely restrained anger.

"You'd better have a good explanation for this."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Hope you've enjoyed this chapter. More action-y stuff coming up in future chapters. Please review and let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Back from holidays, and here's the promised update. Thank you for reading and reviewing the last chapter. Hopefully, a few more things will be cleared up in this chapter!

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 15**

(by elle6778)

Max cracked her eyes open, and then immediately shut them against the bright glare. A lamp was shining straight into her eyes. Groaning inwardly, she tried to shift but soon found that she was strapped to the chair, her wrists and ankles bound to the wooden back and legs with what felt like ropes.

Max wanted to roll her eyes. As if _that_ was going to stop her. She had gotten out of worse situations than this.

She forced her eyes open again, letting it adjust to the bright light. There were rows and rows of what appeared to be testing apparatuses lined along the shelves, not of the medical type, but more of the electronics type.

Max frowned, trying to remember how she got herself into this predicament.

The image of Alec's molten hazel eyes searing into hers and his lips hot on hers came to mind.

Max groaned, this time out loud.

Heat.

Worse still, now Alec knew that she was a transgenic. There was no way he could have missed _that_. The way she had not missed the fact that he was almost as uncontrolled as she was. There was no doubt in her mind now that Alec was Manticore.

She cringed when she remembered how she had responded. And how _he _had responded. She had tried to hold off, tried to walk away, but the temptation was too strong. Her mind had been overruled by her hormones.

That implied that she was now in Manticore's custody. Adrenaline pumped through her at the thought. Her heart-rate picked up and she forced herself to take a few calming breaths.

Not good. This was not good at all.

Why? Why of all people, it had to be Alec and his Manticore partner who had found her? Why couldn't an _Ordinary_ male turned up ten minutes before they did? She would have gladly suffered through the inevitable self-loathing which normally followed her random heat-induced romps.

But now, not only she had to suffer through the self-loathing, she had also exposed all of them to Manticore. Alec must have reported to his superior about it. There was no reason for him to keep his mouth shut about it. There was no reason for him to help them.

Max groaned inwardly. What if they ran tests on her? She knew that Manticore would not find any record of them in their database, but they might be suspicious enough of the whole thing to kick-start an investigation. And who knew what they might find then?

Where were they anyway? Was this part of a psychological game? Something to wear her down. And anyway, since they knew that she was a transgenic, why bother with the pitiful excuse of a restraint?

She frowned. Something did not add up. It suddenly occurred to her that maybe she got it all wrong. But what else could it be? _Think, Max. Think!_

She remembered a slight prick against her back, and then nothing. They must have injected her with something because for some reason, she did not feel her heat anymore. It must have been something to dampen down her heat hormones and also to knock her out. She could not have been unconscious that long, even though she had been dosed with whatever they had injected her with. Her body had been designed to have a certain amount of resistance to chemicals after all.

A quick glance at the digital clock mounted on the wall told her that it had been five hours since she had called Jack. Knowing that her unexpected heat would probably get her into trouble, she had asked him to send someone out to get her from South Market. Jack had promised to send Eva, and then she had spoken briefly to Seth before the scent of a male transgenic distracted her. She guessed she must have dropped her phone because she did not remember keeping it.

Remembering the way she had jumped onto the transgenic Alec had referred to as 511, Max winced involuntarily. She hated what she became when she was in heat. Unitech should do something about it, she thought grumpily. It would save them a lot of potential trouble.

Then Alec had appeared.

Max forced herself to skip past the less savoury details of their encounter, grimacing as she did so. No, she did not want to think about the way his had devoured her lips, their tongues battling for dominance. Or the way his hands had burnt a path from her stomach to her breast.

_Stop it, Max!_

She had to concentrate on the more important issues. Not on some short-lived encounter.

Especially when it was _him_.

What now?

She could try to contact HQ. Unitech had at least taken that insurance with all of them. But what if this was some sort of trap? How could she live with herself if she led her siblings into danger?

The sound of footsteps outside the room signalled the approach of someone, probably her captors.

Max tensed in her seat, her senses fully alert. Silently, she flexed her arms and shifted to loosen her bonds. This might be her chance to escape.

The footsteps stopped and the door opened.

Her eyes widened.

So, it was not Manticore after all.

"Hello, Max. Funny how we keep bumping into each other, don't you think?"

Max eyes flashed for a second before she said in a sickly sweet voice, "Andrei, how nice to see you here."

* * *

"I don't know where she is, okay?" Alec snapped irritably, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

This was not going as planned at all. Max had disappeared, 511 was stuck inside Manticore with Renfro and Seth looked as if he was about to blow his top.

Alec stood his ground as Seth took a step towards him.

Seth glared at him. "You left her here. In _that_ state, and now she's missing. What's wrong with you?" he snarled.

Alec rolled his eyes. "Look, would I lose her on purpose? She's my bargaining chip."

A hand fisted on front of Alec's black jumper. Leaning in close, Seth hissed, "She's much more than a bargaining chip, and you should remember that."

Then Seth released his grip abruptly and stepped away. "Our deal's off," he declared in a clipped voice.

Stunned, Alec stood there, watching Seth's retreating back for a few seconds before he sprang forward. He could not afford to let Seth walk away just like that. Without Seth or Max, he did not have enough time to get hold of the information he needed.

"Hey!" Alec yelled, jogging after Seth. "We can work something out, right?"

Without glancing back, Seth quickened his steps.

Annoyed at the lack of response, Alec snapped, "Look, we'll just have to look for her together. Seattle's not that big. She's around somewhere."

"And I'll find her," Seth said resolutely as he jumped onto the bike they had come on. "Alone."

Not a chance, Alec thought as he slammed a hand between Seth's key and the ignition. "I still need the intel on Ivanov," he gritted out tersely.

Unperturbed, Seth shrugged. "Not my problem." Shoving Alec's hand away, he continued, "Like I said, the deal's off."

Alec stared at him. So that was how Seth wanted to play it, huh? Well, he was not going to let him off so easily. His survival and his sanity were at stake here. Not to mention 511's. Psy-ops were never pleasant and he had no intention of being thrown back in it.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Alec took a step back and smirked. "How about this? You hand over what I want or I spill the beans about you and Max _fraternising_ after hours. Hmm?"

Seth froze.

Alec's smirk grew. He finally had the guy. All he had to do was to mention their relationship. Seth should really be a little bit more careful with his _relationship_ with Max. This was the exact reason why Manticore was against personal involvements between its soldiers.

Glaring at him, Seth snarled, "Do you have a death wish?"

Looking thoughtful, Alec replied innocently, "Not really. But do _you_ wish for Manticore to find out about you and Max?"

Wordlessly, Seth stepped off the bike, studying Alec assessingly. His expression was stony.

Alec tilted his head to the side. "So?" he prompted, raising an eyebrow.

Seth's tone was cold when he replied, "It appears that we could to come to some form of agreement."

Alec grinned.

* * *

Ivanov stood in front of her, his lips curved in a cold smile. Behind him, two armed guards watched her intently, not moving a muscle, not blinking an eye. Ivanov was obviously wary of her after the stunt she and Alec had pulled. Or maybe it was because of how Seth had wiped out his entire security detail back at the mansion.

She raised an eyebrow as she nudged towards the guards. "All this for me? Surely you're capable of handling me without your bodyguards."

The muscle under his eyes ticked, letting her know that he had understood the insult. But the smile remained. Leaning down close to her, he said in an oily voice, "I don't have anything against you. Tell me who sent you and I'll let you go."

Snorting derisively, Max said, "That bimbo act must have really fooled you if you think I'd believe that."

He reached forward and laced his fingers in her hair.

Max held herself still, trying not to cringe at the caressing motion of his hands. What did the jackass think he was doing? Her fists itched to deliver a punch to his face. If only those two guards of his would leave. Then she could try something. But with two guns pointed at her, there was no chance of her escaping. Not without some serious damage.

"Come on, Max. Make this easy on yourself," he coaxed, his hand still entangled in her hair.

"No," she replied flatly.

Ivanov's eyes flashed in anger and immediately yanked her head back by her hair.

Max gritted her teeth, refusing even to blink as she glared up at him.

"Tsk, tsk, Max. I ask you again. Who are you working for?"

"Over my dead body," she spat.

A hard fist met her cheeks with a loud thud.

Max inhaled sharply, shaking her head to clear it. That would bruise, she thought in irritation.

Ivanov shook his head slowly, a pitying look came over his face "I don't like hitting women, but you left me no choice. Tell me a name, and this will be over."

Her eyes glinted just before she spat in his face. He stared at her in disbelief, the spittle running down his chin. Two angry patches of red appeared on his cheeks. If the situation was not so serious, Max would have laughed at his expression.

Growling in anger, Ivanov slapped her hard, snapping her head to the side.

This could not continue, Max thought in dismay as her cheeks throbbed in protest at the abuse. Now that she knew it was just Ivanov and not Manticore, it might be a good idea to call in some reinforcement.

She groaned inwardly. That would just reinforce Seth's belief that she could not take care of herself. Not to mention she would probably not hear the end of it from Zane.

But she had to do it.

Using the tip of her tongue, she searched the inside of her mouth until she found a small, hard lump. Taking a deep breath, she bit down hard, tearing the soft flesh. Her mouth filled with the coppery taste of her own blood, the thick liquid seeping out from the corner of her mouth.

As Ivanov reached out, Max turned her head away. Gripping her chin tightly, he forced her to look at him. Swiping the blood from the corner of her lips with a finger, he gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't make me damage that pretty face further. Just tell me what I want to know."

Max wanted to roll her eyes, but she knew that it would only serve to antagonise him more. And right now, she had to concentrate on activating the emergency transmitter. And to make sure that Ivanov did not get suspicious.

She nodded. "Give me a second," she continued weakly, giving the appearance that she was breaking down.

A smug smile flitted over Ivanov's lips as he released her. "Good girl. I knew you'd come to your senses."

Max let her head flop down, her hair swinging forward to hide the sides of her face.

Using her tongue, she prodded at her bleeding wound until a solid object, slightly larger than a grain of rice, popped onto her tongue. Carefully, she pushed it between her teeth and bit on it, applying a steady pressure for ten seconds before she released it.

Ivanov tilted her chin up. "So, who are you working for?"

Max took a deep breath. Now, she just needed to bide her time until someone from Unitech arrived.

* * *

"I'll get you the information."

"I'm not saying that you won't," Alec said, a little baffled by Seth's reluctance to let him help with the search for Max. Or was it just because Seth did not want him near Max?

"I can find her on my own," Seth insisted tightly.

Alec shrugged carelessly. "Yeah. But two of us would get the job done quicker."

"I work solo," Seth replied with a stony expression.

"Oh? I thought Max was your partner?" Then Alec paused, pretending to think. "Hang on. You're not worried that she would choose _me_ over you in her heat, are you? Hmm?"

A flash of anger crossed Seth's face. "I think Max has better sense than that," he gritted out.

Alec arched an eyebrow. "Funny. It didn't feel like that a while ago. But if that's not the case, then you shouldn't have a problem with me helping, right? Unless there's-"

A buzzing sound from Seth's pocket cut him off mid-sentence.

The other transgenic gave him a quick look before fishing his cell phone out of his pocket. "Yeah?" Seth barked into the phone as he moved away, obviously not wanting Alec to hear him.

Alec strained to hear what was said, but the sound was too low for him to catch anything. Frowning, he debated whether or not to follow Seth. It could not possibly be Max calling because her phone was gone. Was it Unitech then?

As Seth continued to talk softly on the phone, Alec leaned back against the external wall of the warehouse. With the other man some distance away, he was able to let down his guard a little. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

Questions ran through his head, all unanswerable. What had gone wrong? Where was Max? Was Seth really going to keep to his word and deliver Ivanov?

Alec groaned. Something like this would have normally taken a week at the most. But how many weeks had it been now? How had such a simple mission gone so wrong so fast?

Max, that was how. The woman was turning out to be a real thorn in his side.

Why was he even offering to help Seth find her, anyway? He had better things to do with his time. Like maybe seek out some lucky female to appease his frustration. Yeah, then maybe he would stop having inappropriate thoughts about a certain infuriating dark-haired female.

Seth's footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts.

Turning to the other transgenic, Alec raised a questioning brow. "News?" he asked at the expression on Seth's face.

"You might be meeting Ivanov sooner than you expect."

Alec's eyes widened, and then narrowed in suspicion. He did not fully trust Seth. "How?"

"We're going to pay him a visit now."

"What? How do you know where he is?" he asked, confused at the sudden development. All this from a phone call?

"Unitech deciphered the info," Seth replied shortly.

"What about Max?" Alec asked before he could stop himself.

Seth's eyes narrowed. "Do you want Ivanov or not?" he snapped tightly.

Alec stared at him disbelievingly. Yes, he wanted to get hold of Ivanov, but it occurred to him that Seth should be a little bit more concerned about his partner. Not that he was going to complain if Seth led him straight to Ivanov.

Catching the look on Alec's face, Seth let out an exasperated sigh. "Ivanov got Max, alright?" he finally said.

An inexplicable feeling of relief suddenly washed over Alec. At least now they knew where she was. "I see," he said levelly. How did Ivanov get to her?

The car.

It must have been his car.

Mesher had seen him in it, and the flashy car was not something anyone would miss. Alec groaned inwardly. Someone must have tipped Ivanov off. Max's heat must have distracted him and 511 more than they had realised if they had not noticed that they were being followed.

Seth studied him silently.

"What?" Alec asked defensively, a little unnerved by Seth's stare.

The look continued for a few more seconds, making Alec acutely uncomfortable before Seth finally said, "A word of advice, soldier." He paused for a beat, and then continued in a harder voice, "Don't fall for her."

Alec stiffened. "What are you talking about?"

"It's just your hormones, nothing else," Seth added levelly.

He was being warned off Max, Alec thought, affronted. As if it was necessary.

Smirking, he replied coolly, "I can handle myself, but thanks for the advice. For the record, I have no intention of _falling_ for her. It's not worth the trip to psy-ops."

"Good."

* * *

It did not take long before Ivanov realised that she had no intention of telling him anything.

The first twenty blows or so, she could handle. But then he carried on tirelessly, almost as if he was enjoying himself, just pausing occasionally to question her about her mission.

Max kept her lips sealed as the blows continued. Her instinct told her to just rip away the ropes and let Ivanov have a taste of his own medicine. But the two guns were still aimed right at her. The risk was too high.

Her head was spinning and Ivanov's figure began to blur in front of her.

Just as she thought that she was going to pass out, it suddenly stopped.

As if in slow motion, she watched as Ivanov and his guards crumpled to the ground. And then an eerie silence descended around her. What was going on?

Max closed her eyes, too tired to think.

"Max?"

Her eyes snapped open.

The emergency call worked. "Seth," she exclaimed in relief. Then her jaw dropped when she took in the figure behind him.

Her eyes went to Seth's. "What's he doing here?" she asked, incredulous. It did not make sense. The last time she had seen the two of them together, they were beating the hell out of each other.

Alec came closer. "Nice to see you too, Max." Then his raised his brows. "Gee, what happened to you?"

Max frowned at him. No doubt he was referring to her battered face and body. "Get lost," she snarled viciously.

Alec smirked. "Is that how you greet your greatest rival?" he asked, going around behind her.

Max snorted. "Don't make me laugh."

"We don't have time for this," Seth interjected with a frown. "You okay, Max?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her to undo the bindings around her ankles. His worried eyes scanned her appearance.

"Yeah," she replied as Alec cut through her bonds. With Alec behind her, she mouthed silently, but urgently to Seth, _'He knows.'_

Seth gave her an almost imperceptible nod, followed by a warning look. Max took it that he meant to let him handle it. A bubble of irritation rose to the surface.

But before she could say anything, Seth turned to Alec. "Give me the syringe."

Max frowned. "What syringe?"

Alec passed a syringe and a vial to Seth.

"To make sure your heat remains under control," Alec explained. Then he paused before continuing, "Not that it'll help much when it comes to me, of course."

Max's eyes flashed as she turned to him. "Shut up before I kick your ass."

Grinning, Alec returned, "Always my ass, Max. Not to say that I'm not flattered, but seriously, it's an unhealthy obsession."

Max opened her mouth to retort, but Seth beat her to it. "That's enough! Remember our deal?" he snapped, giving Alec a meaningful look.

Alec held his hands out in a gesture of surrender. "Just making small talk."

"Don't," Seth bit out tightly as he drew the fluid from the vial. Holding on to her arm, he administered the shot wordlessly.

Sounds of footsteps reached her ears. "Someone's coming," she said urgently.

Seth shot to his feet immediately. "Stay here," he ordered, rushing out of the door.

Nodding, Max stood up unsteadily. Her vision blurred suddenly. Damn, all the abuse her body had suffered today must have taken its toll, she thought. She swayed a little, and a strong arm went around her.

"Easy," Alec's breathed into her ears, making her spine tingle. He shifted, pulling her up against him to steady her.

A rush of liquid warmth spread over her. Some of her hormones must be still in action, Max thought irritably as her vision cleared. "I'm fine," she snapped, forcing herself to pull away from his arms.

"In a sunny mood, aren't we?" he mocked, releasing her.

"What the hell are you doing here, Alec?"

He shrugged. "Just helping out a fellow X5, that's all."

She turned back to glare at him. "Gee, thanks," she said, her words thick with sarcasm. "If you didn't tranquilize me, I wouldn't be here in the first place"

He grinned. "Hey, I have my standards, you know. And an alleyway just didn't cut it for me, as hot as it had been."

She flushed in embarrassment. "Will you just shut up, Alec?" she snarled just as Seth came back in.

Alec grinned at her. "It's 494, by the way. Thought you should know, especially after what we've shared earlier. And you are?"

"She's 453. And I'm 354," Seth snapped impatiently, gesturing to the door. "Now that we're done with the introductions, we need to go before more of them turn up. We're out of gas."

Max opened her mouth, and then clamped it shut again. _453?_ What did Seth mean? There was no way Seth could have mistaken her designation. Or his own. What was he up to?

Alec raised his eyebrows. "Did the two of you request matching designations back when you were in the tubes?"

Max rolled her eyes, ignoring him.

Seth had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: That's it for now. Hope you've enjoyed that. You can probably guess what's happening next, lol. Please review and let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: I know I have taken forever to complete this chapter. :smiles sheepishly:. Anyway, here it is now and I hope that you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 16**

(by elle6778)

As Alec bent down closer to the unconscious Ivanov, he snuck a discreet look at Max, who was in a hushed conference with Seth at the door. Their voices were low, out of range of his transgenic hearing.

But he was not overly bothered by it.

Alec smirked. From what he had seen so far of those two, Seth must be giving Max a telling off for her heat. He wondered why the other transgenic bothered with the lecture. It was not as if Max could help herself.

The image of Max's heated eyes burning into his as she wrapped her legs around his hips flashed through his mind. He tensed involuntarily at the memory.

Get your head back in the game, soldier, he scolded himself sternly as he squeezed his eyes shut.

When he opened his eyes, he caught sight of Max and Seth.

Unbidden and unwanted, like a gruesome scene he could not tear his eyes away from, an image of Seth and Max appeared in his mind. He blinked, but the image remained. Seth and Max writhing against each other, their naked limbs tangled together and sweaty.

Something surged in him. Something he could not quite understand. His stomach roiled in protest and rubbed his eyes, desperate for it to go away.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down. It alarmed him how much that image shook him. It was disconcerting.

Well, he had better things to do than to think about Max and her love-life. It had nothing to do with him, anyway. And if the two of them wanted to risk getting caught by Manticore for fraternising, who was he to butt in?

His priority was his assignment, and that was all he was going to think about until he completed it. Which should not be long now.

Knowing that he had very little time to achieve what he had come for, Alec searched the room until his eyes fell on some wires. That would do, he thought as he went for the black coil.

In seconds, he had Ivanov's wrists and ankles bound tight.

Hefting the Russian's body onto his shoulders like a sack, Alec stood up and headed towards the two other transgenics.

* * *

Max stared, astonished at Seth's blunt revelation. There was no way Manticore did not recognise their own operatives.

"What do you mean, you pretended to be 354? _HOW_ can you pretend to be him without Manticore finding out?" she hissed softly, her eyes flicking to Alec to make sure that he was still occupied with Ivanov. "You're running the risk of being caught, Seth!"

"And this reaction is precisely why I didn't tell you," Seth retorted just as softly, but there was no mistaking the determination in his eyes. "I'm telling you now because you need to know to avoid making a blunder."

Max's eyes flashed accusingly. "So, you kept this from us just like that?" she hissed.

Seth did not reply.

Her head spun, and she held up a hand against a column. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "How the hell did you get in there, anyway? Why wasn't anyone suspicious?"

"354 is supposed to be out on a long-term undercover mission. The same for 453. And I'm sure they won't find out."

She rolled her eyes and snorted. "And how did Alec find out then? What's going to happen when he reports back that he had help from X5-354 and X5-453? Manticore's not _that_ stupid, Seth."

He shook his head. Confidently, Seth said, "He'd have no reason to share the glory of capturing Ivanov with us. Let him take Ivanov back to Manticore. We should just drop out of the weapons mission. Unitech would agree that it's too risky."

Something about the entire situation bugged her, prodding her to question Seth further even as her head continued to throb painfully. "Don't you get it, Seth? Manticore already KNOWS about us. How could they not?"

"No, they don't. They know about X5-453 and X5-354. As far as they're concerned, X5-452 and X5-353 don't exist."

What did he mean? She felt like they were not even having the same conversation. Max sighed wearily as she rubbed her forehead. "Seth, you're not making any sense here."

Seth was obviously reluctant to tell her, but thankfully, he relented. "X5-354 and X5-453 are our clones. Or twins. Or whatever you want to call them. We look exactly the same. Without extensive tests, no one would know."

Her jaw dropped. "Clones?" she uttered disbelievingly. Manticore _cloned_ them?

Seth looked away.

Then something occurred to her. 494. Alec's designation.

"Alec's 494," she stated flatly.

Ben's face flashed across her eyes.

From Seth's side profile, Max could see the muscle in his jaw ticking, but he remained silent. She had no doubt that he knew what she was going to ask next. Because he already knew the answer to the question.

"Alec is Ben's twin, isn't he?" she asked calmly. Inside, her mind whirred with the implications of that fact. No, don't think about it now, Max, she told herself sternly.

Keeping her eyes on Seth, her expression hardened. "What else are you not telling us, Seth? How could you not tell me at least that? When are you going to tell us anything?"

Seth stared at her wordlessly, his entire body tense. And then, stonily, he replied, "Maybe one day, Max. This is not the right time."

Her eyes flashed in irritation. "_When_ is the right time, Seth?" she asked tersely.

Silence was all she got from him.

Max shook her head slowly, weary of arguing with Seth. "Seth, I don't know what you're doing, or even _why_ you're pretending to be 354. But you've got to come clean with us."

"I-" he started, and then abruptly stopped as he glanced to his right.

Alec was walking towards them with Ivanov slumped over his shoulders.

That was what Ben would look like if he had lived, Max thought sadly, her eyes suddenly stinging. She shook herself inwardly. No, it would do her no good to think about that now.

Unaware of the tension between them, Alec just raised his eyebrows. "Don't let me interrupt. You two better make the most of this before we get back to Manticore," he drawled, flicking a meaningful look at them.

Max opened her mouth but Seth beat her to it. "We won't be going back with you," he stated blandly.

Holding her breath, she glanced quickly at Alec to gauge his reaction to Seth's words. Would Alec suspect anything?

If he was surprised, he did not show it. Instead, Alec shrugged casually. "Well, I've got what I came for, so I'm going to head back."

Seth nodded curtly, more tense than how Max would expect him to be. What was his problem?

Max locked eyes with Alec, and for a second, she thought that she detected some reluctance in his expression. Then she blinked and all she could see was his smirk as made his way towards the door, his steps steady and sure even though he was weighed down with Ivanov's prone body.

She shook her head inwardly. A figment of her imagination, that was all. He had no reason to be reluctant to leave. Her arm tingled as he brushed past her to get through the door. She flushed suddenly, reminded of their previous encounters.

Then he paused and looked back over his shoulders at her.

"Guess I'd be seeing you back in Manticore someday, huh?" he asked quietly.

She was about to come up with some flippant reply, but something stopped her. The air seemed thick with something Max could not quite put her finger on. She guessed, in a way, it was because she knew that she would not be seeing him anymore now that he got his hands on Ivanov.

Well, not unless Unitech insisted on sending her back out to get Ivanov from Manticore. But somehow, knowing what she knew now, she did not think that that was likely.

She replied softly, "I guess."

He stared at her for a beat, and then nodded.

She watched his shrinking form as he moved further away from her until he finally turned the corner and disappeared.

"Come on, Max," Seth called out urgently.

Startled, she looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"We need to pick up something I found earlier," Seth said, grabbing her hand.

Frowning in confusion, Max asked, "What do you mean?"

"You'll see soon," he replied cryptically.

* * *

Alec headed straight for the garage. The bike was no good to him right now considering the state Ivanov was in. Anyway, he was sure that Seth would not give his bike up so easily. What he needed was a car.

His lips curved into a smile when he spotted a sleek red convertible parked at one end of the garage. It was exactly what he was looking for.

Breaking into it took him less than a minute. Then, tossing Ivanov carelessly into the trunk, he hot-wired it and drove off.

The drive to Manticore was short. Before long, he pulled up at the gates and hopped out of the car.

The usual verification of his identity followed. Then the guard on duty looked up from the screen and waved him over.

Renfro, Alec thought apprehensively. She must have discovered that he had left the compound again before reporting to her. Damn! He had hoped to get back before she found out.

"X5-494. You have orders to report to Director Renfro immediately," the guard told him.

Alec nodded, his apprehension growing.

Then he shook himself inwardly. Renfro wanted info on the weapons and he had Ivanov in the trunk. There was nothing for him to worry about. Ivanov would not be able to hold anything back once Psy-Ops got their hands on him.

He let himself breath easier.

The gates swung open just as Alec stepped back into the car. As he drove past, he wondered how 511 was faring. Hopefully Renfro had not decided to take her anger out on him.

A twinge of regret assailed him. Perhaps he should not have left 511 there. But considering the circumstances, it was the only thing he could do. If he had stayed behind, _both_ of them would get nowhere.

Alec parked the car in front of the Command Centre.

Retrieving Ivanov out of the trunk, Alec hefted the still unconscious man over his shoulders. The knock-out gas would remain in the man's system for at least another couple of hours, so there was more than ample time to make sure that Ivanov was secured.

Two X6s on duty at the entrance to the Command Centre snapped a salute at him as he passed.

"Sir!" they chorused in unison.

Alec nodded in acknowledgement. Lowering Ivanov to the stone pavement, he said, "Process this subject and get him into a holding cell, will you? Book him under the name Andrei Ivanov. Job reference is W93845."

One of the X6s stepped forward and pulled Ivanov up to his feet. "The holding cell in Block B, sir?"

"That'll do," Alec agreed.

The other X6 called out just as he stepped into the building. "Sir? Director Renfro wants you to report to her."

Alec restrained from groaning out loud. Had Renfro decided to tell _everyone_ to pass the message on to him? The guards first, and now this X6.

Giving the X6 a brief nod, Alec continued further into the building, heading towards Renfro's office.

* * *

Max sat stiffly behind Seth, her arms gripping his jacket tightly.

It was unfortunate that they were on a bike. She wanted to grill him further, but at the speed they were going, there was no chance of that happening. It was as if Seth was deliberately trying to avoid talking to her by racing down the road at a breakneck speed. And as far as she knew, they had no reason to rush back to Unitech.

She rolled her eyes. Well, maybe there was. The weapons prototype on her back was one good reason. It had been pure luck that Seth had stumbled upon it when he and Alec had split up to look for her.

So now, Manticore had Ivanov and Unitech had the prototype. It a strange way, it all seemed to have worked out pretty well.

They reached the headquarters an hour later and Seth rode into a dark alleyway. The building was surrounded by a tall wall. With a click of a remote, one of the wall panels lifted up. That was the access they usually used which bypassed the Unitech IT department and led them straight to the secret underground passage.

When she swung herself off the bike, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over her, making her stagger unsteadily. Damn, she must have sustained more injury than she realised. Or perhaps it was the combination of everything; the hormone inhibitors, the tranquilisers, her injuries and the shock of Seth's revelations.

A strong arm went around her.

Her vision blurred, and she blinked rapidly to clear it.

"We need to get you to the infirmary," he said urgently. A heavy sigh followed. "The trip took too long," he added irritably.

Her eyes widened. Seth had been speeding like mad so that he could get her back faster? She gave him a small smile. "It's okay, Seth. I'm fine." She was not lying. Now that she was on firm ground again, she felt a little better. And she had questions for him, she thought resolutely.

"The hell you are," he snapped, taking the rucksack containing the prototype from her. "Let's go."

She dug her feet into the ground. "Wait. We need to talk."

"Later, Max," he brushed off carelessly as he opened the side door to let her in.

Her eyes narrowed. His stubbornness was really beginning to bug her. "No, Seth. I want to know what's up with the whole deal about Manticore and Alec and the clones."

Grabbing her arm to pull her along with him down the underground passage, he expelled a heavy breath. "Max, I've told you what you need to know. From now on, you'll have no contact with Alec or Manticore. So it doesn't matter anymore."

She gritted her teeth. "That's not the point, Seth. And what do you mean _I_ will have no contact with Manticore? What about you?"

"I'm doing what I have to do," he replied stiffly, averting his eyes.

"And what's that, Seth? What is it that you're doing in Manticore?" she asked, pulling herself away from him.

He shook his head and reached out for her. "Come on, Max. You need to get those wounds treated."

Stepping away from his grasp, she glared at him. "How long have you been in there?"

Seth stared at her for a moment, and then he turned and walked down the corridor, leaving her question unanswered.

Max gaped, rooted to the spot. He had the nerve to just walk away without answering her?

Scowling, she rushed after him. If he thought that it would be _that_ easy to escape, he had better think again.

"How long have you known about the clones? How long have you known that Alec and Ben are twins?" she persisted, her voice raised in agitation.

"I don't want to talk about it," Seth snapped without looking back at her.

Her eyes narrowed. "What else are you hiding from us, Seth?"

He lengthened his steps.

Gritting her teeth, Max followed suit. Her temper flaring, she grabbed his jacket and spun him around.

He stared at her stonily, his jaw tight. Nothing but dead silence came from him.

Her fists balled at her sides. "Answer me, Seth!" she yelled. "What have you got to hide, huh? What's so bad that you can't just tell us? What did you do?"

His eyes flickered, and then a faraway look entered them. Then to Max's surprise, a hint of anguish swept over his expression. And then regret.

Anguish? Regret? At what? For what?

She shoved him in the chest, but it was as if he did not even feel it.

"Seth?" she yelled.

Startled, he stiffened abruptly. And then he looked down at her, his expression a mix of anger and something else she could not quite place.

His voice was low when he spoke. "Drop it, Max. I mean it," he warned in an alarmingly dangerous tone.

Her eyes widened. For a moment, she was speechless.

She had never seen him this way before. Seth was always calm and collected. Uptight? Yes. Bossy? Yes. But he had never used this tone on her, or any of them for that matter.

She ventured gingerly, "Seth? Are you okay?" Her eyes searched his, looking for some clue as to what was bothering him.

Seth's throat bobbed as he swallowed. Then his expression evened out. "I'm fine," he replied tonelessly. Then he continued, "Check yourself into the infirmary. You need to get yourself stitched up. I'll drop the prototype off at the lab."

Spinning around, he strode away from her without a backward glance.

Shocked at his reaction, she watched his retreating back until he turned the corner and disappeared from her sight.

* * *

Alec stepped into Renfro's office. He hoped that with Ivanov's capture, Renfro would overlook his earlier disobedience. A part of him felt doubtful, but his expression gave away nothing. He guessed that he had Manticore's relentless training to thank for it.

Renfro looked up from her desk.

"You disobeyed a direct order, 494," she went straight to the point.

"Ma'am, I needed to make a move on the target. Any delay would jeopardise the mission," he explained levelly.

She looked at him assessingly. "You obtained further intel?"

"Yes, ma'am. The target, Andrei Ivanov, is now secured in Block B."

Renfro nodded, her eyes not leaving him. "Excellent, 494," she said crisply. "You're confident that we'll have the information we require on the weapons system?"

"Ivanov is the mastermind. He would be able to tell us what we need to know."

The corner of Renfro's lips lifted. "Good." Then she stepped out away from her desk to stand in front of him, her expression questioning.

Alec forced himself to stare right ahead, keeping his expression blank.

"Tell me, 494. What do you know about 453?"

He blinked at the suddenness of the question. 453? So, 511 had told Renfro about Max. But how much had 511 told her?

Better keep it short and sweet. "She appears to be on an undercover mission, ma'am."

Renfro's eyebrow arched. "Really? And how do you know this?"

There was no way of hiding it now. So what if he had met another undercover X5 during a mission? Anyway, apart from the fraternising, he did not think that Max had done anything wrong. He would be in bigger trouble if he lied to Renfro.

"X5-453 was present as an agent for the opposition, ma'am. We crossed path during the mission."

"In Seattle?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"In the last few weeks?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Interesting," Renfro remarked thoughtfully. Then she walked back to her desk and sat down.

Alec fought the urge to look at her. Renfro's responses were not exactly encouraging. But something was wrong. She was too calm, too collected. And if she already knew about Max, what was the point of asking him? Was it simply just because she wanted to verify what 511 had told her?

"Interesting," she repeated softly. Then her expression became stony. "Now, can you explain the phone call I had received from 453 three days ago?"

His heart began to beat louder. A phone call from Max? "Ma'am?"

"I received a report from 453 three days ago. She was nowhere near Seattle. But according to you and 511, she was in Seattle. Is that correct?"

Alec hesitated for a moment before he replied, "Yes, ma'am."

"So, since 453 cannot possible be in two places at the same time, one of you must be lying."

Alec sucked in a sharp breath. "511 and I are positive that it was 453," he insisted. What was going on here? Was it possible that it was someone else that they had met, and not 453? It was simply not possible. Or maybe Seth had given him the wrong designation. But why would he do that?

"I'm afraid that I'm finding it difficult to accept your explanation, 494."

It was the truth, Alec wanted to shout, but he kept his mouth shut. Renfro would not take this lightly. Firstly, he had disobeyed a direct order, which was by itself, punishable. Now she was of the impression that he was lying to her.

He had no doubt that Renfro was not going to take this lightly. But what else could he tell her? It was not as if he was lying to her.

"So, what really happened out there, 494?"

Alec inhaled slowly and then released his breath. He was going to have to stand his ground. "The encounter with 453 did occur. She was after the same thing, the weapon design. We met her on more than one occasion."

Renfro's eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you insist on lying to me, I have no choice but to make sure that your insubordination never happens again."

Psy-Ops. That was what Renfro meant, Alec thought apprehensively.

"You will return to your cell and remain there until you're escorted to reindoctrination tomorrow morning. Is that clear, 494?" Renfro barked.

His words were heavy, leaden. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Max rolled over for what seemed like the hundredth time. The infirmary beds were obviously not designed for comfort. She wanted to leave, but the doctor had threatened to get Zack in to handcuff her to the bed if her feet so much as touched the floor.

But she was bored. She had been lying there for almost a day and she had had enough of it.

"Max!"

Recognising the voice, she turned around. Her face broke into a grin when she saw her sister. Pushing Seth to the back of her mind, she pushed herself up.

"Tinga! You're back," she exclaimed happily.

"Hey, take it easy, sis," Tinga advised as she bent down. They met in a hug.

"Been too long, Max. I missed you," Tinga murmured into the side of her head.

Max pulled back. "You alright?" she asked, concerned. "Is Eva and Zane back?"

Tinga nodded and then looked away uncomfortably.

"What happened?" Max asked quietly, sensing that something was bothering Tinga. She scanned her from head to toe, and then froze.

Max's eyes widened as she continued to stare at Tinga's midsection. What she felt, could it really be that? "Tinga? Are you…"

Tinga looked away uncomfortably.

Max laid a hand on Tinga's arm, a concerned frown on her face.

When Tinga brought her eyes up to Max, her expression was resolute. "Yes, Max. I'm pregnant."

Stunned, Max did not speak. Tinga had been away for almost eight months on her undercover mission. And now she looked about six months pregnant. What happened and why she did not tell them about it earlier? She could not have possibly missed all the signs.

Tinga sighed heavily. "Look, it's a long story."

"Why, Tinga? How did this happen?"

Tinga's lips tilted in a lopsided smile. "The usual way."

"Heat?"

"Well, there's that too."

"Who is the father?"

"Someone I met during my mission."

"The guy you were watching over?"

Tinga shook her head. "No. Charlie lives next door to my apartment." She shrugged. "One thing led to another."

Max gestured in the space between them. "Does he know…"

"No. He doesn't know I'm a transgenic." Tinga looked away, her expression turning anguished. "He must be hurt that I left the way I did. And worried," she added softly.

"Tinga…" Max said, her expression sympathetic. Tinga obviously missed Charlie. "Are you going back there?"

Tinga raised her eyes. "I wanted to stay there. But Eva thinks it is too dangerous. None of us had had any children, and certainly not with an Ordinary, so we don't know what to expect. She said that once I had the baby, I might be able to go back. But by then, Charlie would have given up on me," she finished sadly.

"I don't think that'll be the case. How could he forget the mother of his kid?"

"I don't know, Max," Tinga said, and then took a deep breath. "Enough about me. How are you feeling? You've been beaten up pretty badly."

Max grinned. "Part of the job description. I guess I can't complain."

"I'm surprised that Seth went with you, though. I thought he pretty much work solo nowadays."

"Yeah, that's right," Max said thoughtfully.

She wanted to tell Tinga about Manticore and the clones. And Ben being Alec's twin. But Tinga had her own problems at the moment. Bringing up Ben would just cause more pain and sadness to her.

Perhaps she should wait until she found out more.

A twinkle entered Tinga's eyes. "So what is this I've been hearing about Alec?"

"Alec?" Max parroted dumbly. How did Tinga find out?

"Zane told me about Alec, your new nemesis in that weapons mission of yours." Her expression turned mischievous. "Zane thinks there's something going on between you two."

"What? No!" Max protested loudly. "Where's Zane? I'm gonna kick his ass."

Tinga laughed. "I'm just teasing you, Max." Then she looked thoughtful. "But I'm finding your reaction…interesting."

Max scowled. "It's not like that," she muttered. Lydecker and Seth obviously had not told anyone about Alec's position as a Manticore soldier, otherwise Tinga would not be so light-hearted about it.

Grinning, Tinga stood up. "Well, I'm here if you want to talk."

When Tinga shut the door behind her, Max leaned back and groaned.

* * *

It was not long before the sound of the footsteps of a guard reached him.

Renfro did not waste any time, he thought in disgust. But at least he managed to catch some sleep.

He had spent the whole night running through the possible scenarios which might explain the situation. But in the end, he came up with nothing. Max could not possible be in two places at the same time, unless she was lying to Renfro.

No, Renfro would know because of the call tracing. So that could not be it. He must have missed something.

The door clanked open and the guard stepped in. "Come with me, 494."

Alec nodded and followed him out of the cell.

One after another, his feet moved mechanically in a steady beat down the hallway. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but inside, his thoughts were a confused mass.

Psy-ops.

Had it just been less than a year since he had last been there? It sure felt longer than that. Alec frowned. Now that he thought about it, he could not remember what he had been sent there for. But that was expected. After all, that was the whole purpose of those sessions. No one remembered much after that.

He guessed that once this session was over, he would have no recollection of the entire mission.

Including Max.

His heart gave an odd thump and a lump appeared in his throat. He would never find out what was going on with the entire situation about Max, or 453. Had she been lying to him about her identity? But how was that possible? Or perhaps Renfro had been the one messing with his mind.

No. He needed to make sure he remembered this time. But what could he do? Their destination was close. They were already in the psy-ops area.

How was he supposed to make sure that he remembered?

The guard beside him stopped and pushed open the door on their left.

"Wait here. Someone will be with you in about fifteen minutes," the guard said before he backed out and shut the door.

Alec looked around the sterile space. The atmosphere was oppressive, a testament of all the pain and torture which had occurred there in the past. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Then he looked around thoughtfully. Maybe there was something he could use here to leave him some clues, some reminder of the past few weeks. He glanced at the camera mounted in the corner of the room. It was off. But as soon as the session began, he had no doubt that it would be switched on.

That meant that he needed to be quick.

He made a beeline towards the nearest cupboard and started to open the doors.

Surgical equipment, masks, gloves, pliers.

Alec shut the door with an expression of distaste on his face. No. Nothing useful in there. He opened another one.

Files, reams of printing paper, ink cartridges and miscellaneous stationery.

No, nothing there either, he thought, a little annoyed. Then he opened the next cupboard.

A frown marred his expression. This one seemed to be filled with all sorts of junk. He spotted a watch and a make-up kit amongst the pile of objects. Then his eyes were drawn to a silver object.

Reaching in, he pulled out a voice recorder. It looked familiar, he thought as he stared at it. He had seen it somewhere before, but it was definitely not part of Manticore's standard issue equipment.

Where had he seen it before?

He turned it around in his hand. Even the diagonal scratch at the corner seemed familiar. He pressed on the record button, and the recorder started to hum.

A glance at the clock on the wall told him that he had six minutes left.

Alec smirked.

Six minutes were more than enough.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think of it.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys. I really appreciate it! For once, I managed to keep to my timetable and update this chapter, lol! It's another long chapter, so enjoy!

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 17**

(by elle6778)

Darkness swirled around him. He felt empty inside, yet it was as if there was something out there. Something just out of his reach. He strained forward, wanting to find that something which eluded him. But it kept evading him.

494's eyes snapped open. He blinked at the grey blockwork wall facing him. His mind felt fuzzy and there was a metallic taste in his mouth.

Groaning, he turned over onto his back. Then he stretched, but something dug into the side of his ankle.

He frowned. What on earth?

Sitting up, he pulled his left leg closer and reached between his boots and socks. With his fingers, he pulled out a metallic object.

It was a voice recorder.

That was strange, 494 thought curiously as he turned it around in his hand. His frown deepened as he spotted a diagonal scratch at the corner. It seemed oddly familiar to him. But he had no recollection of stuffing it in his boots.

A sharp shrill sound pierced the air, telling him that it was time to head to the mess hall for breakfast.

He glanced down again at the voice recorder.

Then, with a shrug, he slid it under the mattress and left his cell.

* * *

"Max! Hey, Max!"

Max rolled her eyes and spun around to see Zane rushing towards her.

"What, Zane? Do you have to shout? I'm can hear you just fine," she snapped as Zane skidded to a halt beside her.

Zane quirked his eyebrow. "What's wrong with you? You're either bitchy like this, or you have that zombie look plastered all over your face these days."

"What are you talking about?"

"You've been zoning out so often these few days that I'm beginning to wonder if you're actually here," he pointed out.

Max glared at him. "You're making that up."

Grinning, Zane elbowed her in the ribs, ignoring her gasp of outrage. "So, been thinking about stuff, huh?"

She bristled. "I don't know what you're talking about," she gritted out, knowing fully well that Zane was talking about Alec. The word had spread that she had jumped him in her heat and her siblings had shown no mercy in teasing her about fraternising with the enemy.

So much for keeping things to yourself, Tinga, Max thought sourly. Tinga had prodded her about her wounds until she finally caved and told her sister what happened, leaving out the part about Alec and Manticore. Although they did not know the full story, they had found it amusing.

Well, all except Seth, she amended.

It seemed that like her, Seth was being tight-lipped about Alec's affiliation with Manticore. Otherwise their siblings would be asking more questions rather than just teasing her.

Zane's grin grew to mammoth proportions. "Hey, relationships are like that, you know."

Max frowned in confusion. Relationship? She stared at him blankly. What was he going on about? There was no way anyone could describe the thing between her and Alec as a relationship.

At her expression, Zane sobered up. Laying a hand on her shoulders, he said in a reassuring voice, "Hey, you and Seth will work it out sooner or later."

"Seth?" she parroted dumbly.

Then her expression cleared as his words sank in. Oh, Seth! Zane was talking about Seth, not Alec. Of course he was talking about Seth. Why should he be talking about Alec and relationship in the same sentence anyway, Max thought, annoyed at herself.

Zane squinted at her suspiciously. "Yeah, Seth. Who else could I be talking about?"

"Hmm…" she mumbled noncommittally, hoping that he would drop the subject.

His eyes widened suddenly. And then he broke out in a grin. "You thought I was talking about Alec didn't you?"

Max fisted her hands and glowered at Zane. "Do you need a reminder of what happened two days ago?" she asked threateningly.

His eyes widening in alarm, he stepped back from her, holding his hands up. "Whoa! I'm just kidding around." He rubbed his cheek, obviously remembering the bruise she had given him the day she left the infirmary.

Sighing in exasperation, Max asked, "Don't you have anything better to do?" Her eyes narrowed mischievously before she added, "Like chase Jondy around maybe?"

Tensing visibly, Zane glared back at her. "Not funny, Max."

Max shrugged. "Well, you're the one who started it first. It's payback time."

His eyes bulged in disbelief. "How old are you? Three?"

Max grinned.

Giving her a disgusted look, Zane muttered, "Anyway, I'm here to drag you to the labs."

Her eyes widened. "They completed the analysis of the prototype?"

Zane nodded enthusiastically. "They're going to run the test now."

Max started walking in the direction she came from. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

494 sighed in relief as he lowered himself onto the bed. The training today had been intense and for some reason, the drill sergeant seemed to be paying him an unusually high amount of attention today.

He stretched and turned around in his bunk just to find something sticking into his ribs. With a frown, he sat up. And then he remembered the recorder he had shoved under the mattress earlier.

Bending down, he slipped his hand between the frame and the mattress, pulling out the recorder.

He stared at it curiously, wondering why it had been stashed in his shoe in the first place. Finding the play button, he selected the most recent track.

A voice filtered into the small space.

He sucked in a sharp breath. It was_ his_ voice. What was going on? He did not remember recording anything. Quickly, he lowered the volume so that no one outside could hear it.

As he continued to listen, he noticed that he was speaking quickly, seemingly in a rush. Initially, the word did not mean anything to him. And then, all of a sudden, flashes of images began to appear.

'…_first met at Davies's mansion. She was with a partner, presumably from Unitech as well…'_

The scent of citrus and flowers suddenly came to mind, so clear that he could almost smell it. Max.

'…_Max was undercover as a waitress during my assignment to track down Ivanov…'_

Max kneeling in front of him in the club, scrubbing his pants furiously with a disintegrating wad of napkins. His fury and embarrassment at his inability to stop her was tangible, like a sour taste in his mouth, intermingling with his inability to tear his eyes away from her curves in that ridiculously exposing black outfit.

'…_track her to his mansion and saw Seth, who turned out to be 354…'_

Her argument with Seth outside Ivanov's mansion, followed by her storming off without her boyfriend.

'…_unfortunate luck of getting caught, blowing our cover, but managed to escape. I was later rendered unconscious by Seth before I could get the watch from Max…' _

Her body pressed against him in the narrow duct, her curves moulded tight against him, making him think of things that he should not even comtemplate.

'…heat confirmed that she could only be a transgenic…'

His body pressed against her, his mouth devouring her generous lips like he could not get enough of her. Her legs wrapped tight around his hips, grinding hard against his growing arousal.

'…_453. That was what Seth told me, but Renfro claimed that 453 had called her from outside Seattle. So, someone had to be lying. And I will find out what is going on.'_

He stared at the wall with a frozen expression, barely noticing that the track has ended. He remembered everything now. Every little minor detail of the mission.

And he had a name.

Alec.

He looked down at the recorder, wondering what else it contained. Pressing a button, the display lit up, and the digits showed him that the disc contained few other tracks. He hit the button to bring him to the previous recording.

A tinkling sound came out.

A piano, he realised with a small frown as he continued to listen.

The song. It sounded so familiar. Why?

A voice interrupted the song._ 'You have to pause longer at the end of that bar.' _

He had no recollection of making this recording but somehow, he was not surprised to hear that it was his own voice. But he was surprised to hear the music.

A girl laughed_. 'Okay. But stop recording this. It's making me nervous.'_

Her voice.

'_I want you to hear what you're playing. Then you'll see what I mean,'_ his recorded voice told her.

The image of an innocent, guileless smile appeared in his mind. The image radiated outwards until he could see the smooth, fair face framed by wavy dark hair.

Rachel.

Rachel laughing as she ran into the room, happy to see him.

Rachel at the piano, playing the song she swore she had practiced prior to the piano lessons.

Rachel tilting her head up as their lips met in a kiss.

His face twisted in confusion, he closed his eyes as the images came faster and faster.

_He was prepared for it. His orders were clear. Berrisford needed to be taken care of. There was no time for personal feelings. No time to doubt his orders._

_The man stood before him, his eyes wide in fear. _

"_What's the meaning of this, Simon?" Robert Berrisford asked shakily, backing away towards the door._

"_It'll be over soon," he said calmly. Raising his arm, he cocked the gun in preparation to deliver the shot. _

_He should not have defused the bomb he himself had planted in Berrisford's car, he berated himself. But Rachel's action had forced him to. Rachel had intended to follow her father that morning. He did not want her hurt. The bomb was meant for her father, not her. She was not part of the mission. She was innocent._

_Not to mention that there was something about her that made him feel things he had never felt before. But he did not know what it was but it scared him. It made him question…things…like his orders._

_He gave himself a mental shake. This will be over soon, he reassured himself. And once this was over, there would be no more hesitating. No more feeling torn. _

_No more feeling at all._

_The old man quaked, his eyes watching the gun nervously. "Who are you? Who sent you?"_

"_That is not important," he told Berrisford._

_He had a job to do and he will do it. No more hesitating. No more thinking about the accusation in her eyes if she found out that he was the one who killed her father._

"_No! Please don't! I can't die…" Berrisford begged in a broken voice, staggering back against his mahogany desk.  
_

_He steeled himself and aimed._

_Just as he pulled the trigger, a figure streaked in front of him between Berrisford and the bullet._

_Muted by the silencer, the bullet impacted with only a soft thud._

_His eyes widened. No, he mouthed wordlessly as Rachel slumped over her father and went still. A bullet wound was visible at the back of her head._

"_Rachel!" Berrisford cried out hysterically as he sank to his knees. "No! Please, Rachel!"_

_He had shot her. _

_He had shot Rachel._

_The innocent, happy Rachel._

"_Rachel…" he whispered disbelievingly, a look of horror gracing his features. The hand holding his gun shook, and he had to forcefully steady it._

_Cradling Rachel in his arms, Berrisford gave Alec an accusing look. "You monster!" His voice cracked. "You KILLED my baby!"_

_Alec swallowed hard, his numb body rooted to the spot._

_Berrisford's eyes were moist. "Don't you have a heart? She's just a child. She hasn't even begun to live!"_

_Gently lowering Rachel's body, Berrisford stood up, his eyes blazing with anger. "I'll kill you for this!" the old man shouted as he launched himself forward, a letter-opener in his hand._

_He did not think. He could not think._

_Reload the gun._

_Aim._

_Fire._

_Berrisford's bulging eyes stared at him accusingly, a dark red spot staining in white shirt in a rapidly growing circle. Then he fell lifelessly to the ground._

_The gun fell onto the carpeted floor with a dull thud._

_Mission accomplished, an empty voice echoed in his head as he looked at Rachel and her father. _

_Target eliminated. _

_Civilian casualty; one._

_He tilted his head upwards and let out a roar of anguish._

His breath lodged in his throat, making it hard for him to breathe. Letting out a heartfelt groan, he buried his face in his hands.

He remembered everything now. He remembered how he had wandered off after that, intending to go back to Manticore for his debrief.

But he had never made it.

Instead he had carried on wandering from one town to another, frequenting bars and seedy motels. The recorder remained with him all the while as a reminder of what he had done. Berrisford's words had hit him hard.

"_You monster!" _

"_Don't you have a heart?"_

He had taken lives after lives as an assassin for Manticore. They trusted him because he had been able to carry out his orders efficiently and reliably. He had never questioned it. But the Berrisford mission had been something different.

The killings had finally gotten to him.

By the end of the first month, he had decided to disappear. He was the last person Manticore had expected to run away. He had no choice, he did not want to carry on doing what he did.

But they had found him.

Manticore had found him, dragged him back kicking and fighting. And they threw him in Psy-Ops.

The recorder fell out of his hands, dropping on the floor with a hollow sound, but he did not notice it.

He stared blankly at the wall, wondering what he was supposed to do now.

* * *

All of them, minus Jondy, Krit, Brin, Syl and Seth, were all gathered in the observation room.

Syl was doing some undercover work somewhere.

Brin was still in the infirmary, being treated for her Progeria by the ex-Manticore doctor Zack had brought back in his last mission. Jondy and Krit had remained in the doctor's place to ensure that no one, meaning Manticore, came sniffing for the elderly medical practitioner.

Seth was nowhere to be found. Max did not know for sure, but she would bet that whatever he was doing, it had something to do with Manticore.

Looking around at her siblings, Max shuffled closer to Mack, the Ordinary techie who was busy setting up the tests together with Jack. There was a hint of excitement on their faces as they observed the weapon prototype Seth and Max had brought back from the mission.

"Hey, we got all the fail-safe procedures in place, right?" Max asked worriedly as she stared through the triple layer fibre-reinforced glass.

Mack glanced up from the console with a long-suffering look on his face. "Max. If I had a dollar every time you ask that question, I won't be sitting here anymore."

Max grinned. "No. You'll be in some tropical country, sunning yourself to a burnt crisp."

Jack interjected. "Don't worry, Max. I think Unitech had learnt its lesson. One disaster is enough," he said wryly.

Tinga sat down beside him. "Yeah, all it took was the pulse, right?" she said, rolling her eyes. "Some disaster. Can't believe that something so small could cause so much damage."

"Well, it all started with good intentions," Eva added. "They made the mistake of not testing it thoroughly."

Mack swivelled around to face them. "I thought the whole thing was set up to get you all out? How did it go so wrong?"

Max frowned as she looked thoughtfully at the Ordinary in front of her. And then her expression cleared in understanding. "Oh, you didn't join until after the Pulse, right?"

Mack nodded. "Unitech recruited me a year after that."

Zack started, "Well, it was supposed to be a small electromagnetic pulse. From what Sandeman told us, the plan was to alter records to show Unit 2 was in the process of being transferred to the Seattle facility. On the day we were meant to be transferred, Unitech's troops showed up during one of our routine exercises."

"It's a good thing Lydecker was there, otherwise we would have kicked the shit out of those soldiers," Zane remarked with a grin.

Picking up from Zack, Eva continued, "Once they got us, the troops set off two sets of electromagnetic pulses. One near the Seattle base and one in Wyoming to wipe out all Manticore's record of us. There are so many transgenics so Unitech figured that in the chaos of all the missing data, no one would miss us. The immediate reaction would be that the Wyoming base would think that we've gone to Seattle and the Seattle base would think that we're still in Wyoming."

"And Lydecker stayed on for a while after that to make sure that everything went according to plan, making sure that no one got suspicious," Max added.

"But that doesn't explain why the whole state got wiped out," Mack commented with a frown.

Max looked up as Seth stepped into the room. "It was all a really bad coincidence. The technology was new at that time, and quite a few organisations were working with it. Manticore was running some test on their own version of it at that time."

"Let me guess. The magnetic waves from Unitech's devices and Manticore's devices superimposed onto each other, overlapped and grew exponentially," Mack said, a look of amazement on his face.

"Yup. That's pretty much it," Zane said with a nod.

The door suddenly opened and Seth stepped in, nodding at Jack. "I got your call."

"Glad you made it, Seth," Mack said as he tapped on a couple of buttons on the console.

Max's eyes followed Seth as he sat down near the controls. "Haven't seen you for a while, Seth," she remarked pointedly.

Without looking up, Seth replied, "I had things to do."

Probably some Manticore thing, Max thought suspiciously. In an innocent voice, she asked, "Oh? What?"

"You know better than to ask, Max," came his flat answer.

A flash of irritation coursed through her. At a sudden nudge, Max looked to her side. Zane was shaking his head at her wordlessly. Her expression tightened.

But before she could say anything, Jack interjected in a falsely bright voice, "Hey, looks like we can start now."

As everyone crowded closer to the observation screen, Max promised herself that she would get Seth to speak one way or another.

* * *

"It's all clear, 494."

Startled, Alec jumped slightly from his position of the window.

511 gave him suspicious look. "What is the matter?"

Shaking his head, Alec said levelly, "Nothing. So, it's time to move."

With a curt nod, 511 said, "Affirmative, 494."

Frustrated, Alec resisted the urge to punch the wall beside the window opening. 511 was beginning to really bug him. The man showed no signs that he was the man Alec had known as a friend. Manticore really did a number on him. And for what? 511 had been telling the truth all the while. He had answered their questions honestly.

Considering how 511 was behaving, it was clear that more than the memory of the mission had been wiped out. In the past week, he had tried to jolt 511's memories, but with no success. 511 was a shell now, merely a living and breathing Manticore soldier and nothing else. Alec did not know if that was deliberate or Psy-Ops had overdone the 'reindoctrination'.

Or perhaps 511 had resisted and made things worse for himself.

Alec glowered. If it had not been for the voice recorder, he would have known no better. He would have been in the exact shape as 511 if his own voice had not explained everything to him. Everything about Max, Seth and Unitech. He was still somewhat confused about the entire situation. Someone was lying and could only be either Renfro or Max.

And the only one who had the answer was Max.

Shortly after listening to the recording, he had brought up the surveillance records from Davies's dinner. It did not take him long to find the footage of Max leaving with her partner in a car. Half and hour of checking through the database had told him that the car was registered to Krit Guevara, an employee of Xnet Computers.

Xnet turned out to be a subsidiary of Unitech IT Development. That would be his first stop before he disappeared for good this time.

Now all he had to do was to find a way of evading 511.

"Come on, 494," 511 urged in a toneless voice.

Alec nodded, and then gestured to the opposite building. "I'll keep a watch out from here first, and then I'll follow. You go ahead first."

"And our rendezvous point?"

Keeping his expression bland, Alec said, "It might be hard to do that. Whoever finds the target first will eliminate him. We will regroup back in Manticore."

511 frowned slightly. "But…"

"This is an order, 511," Alec interjected firmly. He was going to do this whether 511 liked it or not.

He would find out what was really happening.

And then he would leave.

* * *

Max glanced up and rubbed her sore eyes. They had been at it for days, trying to figure out what was wrong with the weapon.

At the moment, the intensity of the discharge was too high. There was no way anyone could use it without killing or at least disabling everyone in a half a mile radius. Max reached over a tired Zane to grab another technical drawing.

"Guys, I think we have a problem," Jack remarked gravely.

Eva turned around, her hand suspended over the keyboard. "What?" she asked, sounding concerned.

Jack pointed to the surveillance monitor. "This is the guy who was rummaging through Max's stuff back when she was staying in that apartment."

Suddenly looking very much more awake, Zane whistled as he peered at the screen. Then he grinned and turned back to look at Max. "Hey, looks like you might have a chance after all. That boy's hunting you down. Can't say much of his taste, though."

"Shut up, Zane," Max snapped irritably as she looked over Jack's shoulders.

What was Alec doing near Unitech's compound? With him there, they were looking at a very real risk of exposure. Not to mention that if he continued to hang around their secret entrance, none of them could get their vehicles in or out. She supposed they could always utilise the back-up exit, but only on foot.

"I wonder why he's lurking about," Eva questioned, her brows furrowed in thought.

"Maybe he'll go away if we just ignore him."

Max shook her head. "I don't think so. He's looking for something."

Jack gave her a worried look. "He's looking for you?" He paused in thought for a moment before he continued, "Maybe he wants the prototype."

"It's possible. But the guy has Ivanov, so why bother?" Max muttered.

Zane stood up. "I'll go tell him to shove off."

Hurriedly, Max grabbed his arm. "No. Don't."

Suspicious at her reaction, Eva frowned at her. "What's going on, Max?"

Max looked around at the rest of her siblings, knowing that this was probably the best time to tell them about Alec's real identity.

"What, Max?" Jack asked softly, obviously noting her hesitation.

"We need to watch him carefully," she said tersely. "We have a real possibility of exposure here."

Zane raised an eyebrow at her. "The guy's just an Ordinary, Max."

Max inhaled, then exhaled loudly. "No, he's not."

"What?!"

"He's an X5."

They stared at her, stunned expression on their faces.

"Max, are you sure?"

Max rolled her eyes. "Well, he kinda admitted it."

Jack gave her a worried look. "I don't understand, Max."

Rubbing his head with both hands, Zane added, "I think you'd better explain this." Then comprehension dawned. "He found out you're an X5 when you jumped him in your heat."

With a heavy sigh, Max nodded.

Jack just stared at her thoughtfully. "It was the day when you went missing and activated the emergency beacon, right?"

Max nodded again.

"I don't understand. The guy just took it like that? No questions about where you came from and all? It's not like there are X5s running free all over Seattle," Zane remarked, obviously confused.

"Seth told him that I'm 453, who happens to be my twin in Manticore," Max explained.

"Twin," Eva repeated slowly, trying to absorb the information. Then she frowned. "Seth _told _him? Why should he believe Seth?"

"Apparently, Alec knows Seth as 354."

"But Seth is…" Zane's voice trailed off. For once, the usually talkative guy was stumped.

"353. Yes, I know! 354 is Seth's twin," Max threw her hands up in exasperation. "Look, I'm just as confused about Seth as all of you. All I know is that Seth seems to be somehow involved with Manticore. So why don't you ask him?"

Zane snorted. "I don't know about you, but have you realised how difficult it is to talk to the guy nowadays?"

Eva frowned. "He's been preoccupied lately."

"That's an understatement, Eva," Max muttered.

Since she had started it, Max decided that might as well go the whole way. After all, the rest of them had the right to know. "That's not all."

"There's more?" Zane asked incredulously.

She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Yeah. Alec's designation in 494."

Their eyes widened in comprehension.

"As in Ben's twin," Jack guessed quietly.

"We need to get Seth to talk," Eva said thoughtfully.

Max rolled her eyes. "Good luck with _that_. I've tried, but he's not talking."

Zane glanced at her. "What kind of girlfriend are you if you couldn't get him to listen?"

Rolling her eyes, Max muttered, "Not sure if that's still the case."

Eva sighed. "Well, right now, I think our main concern is how we're supposed to deal with this guy."

"Before he finds out that there are a number of X5s running free."

Pushing her chair back, Eva stood up and said, "Jack, keep a close watch on the X5. Max and Zane, you two find Seth and Zack. I'll track down Tinga and get Lydecker online. We need to have a meeting."

* * *

How long was he going to have to stand there before they got suspicious, Alec thought irritably.

He had scoped out the area yesterday, after he had made sure that 511 had emerged safe from the building. He had spotted Seth in the distance as the guy turned into an alleyway. Unfortunately, when Alec caught up, there had been no sign of Seth, much to his annoyance. A search of the area gave him no clue as to where had Seth disappeared to. Alec concluded that there must be some sort of secret entrance hidden nearby.

Having spent the best part of today pacing out in the road near the alleyway, hoping to catch a glimpse of Max or Seth so that he could follow them, he was now changing his plan of action. Now, all he was trying to do was to make himself visible. Considering what he had seen so far, he was sure that Unitech had some sort of surveillance in place. He found it hard to believe that they would just ignore someone who was acting so suspiciously right outside their entrance.

It took him another half a day before he felt the rising of the fine hair at the back of his neck. That was a sure sign that he was being watched.

Finally, he thought in satisfaction.

Turning around slowly, he came face to face with two men he did not recognise. The two of them were staring at him without any expression on their faces, reminding him eerily of the typical Manticore soldiers.

Alec suddenly felt a twinge of doubt. What if this was all a mistake? He had been away from Manticore for two days longer than he should. What if all he had succeeded in doing was to alert Manticore to his detour by hanging out there in full view?

The two men stepped towards him.

Fine, Alec decided resolutely. This was no time to be deliberating. All he had to do was to engage them in a fight to know if they were X5s or someone else.

He immediately sprung into action, launching himself at them. For a split moment, he saw their eyes widen in surprise. They dodged to the side quickly, avoiding his attack.

The blonde one came at him. Alec turned and swung his leg up in an arc, almost catching the guy in the face, but the guy raised his arm just in time to deflect the blow. The blonde retaliated by throwing a rapid series of jabs. As Alec blocked them, he realised with dismay that the hits were coming too fast for an Ordinary.

Manticore had found him.

Again.

He spun around to deliver a backhand, but before he found his target, Alec felt something pierce his back.

His eyes widened in realisation as a feeling of wooziness came over him.

Tranquilizers.

They hit him with a tranquilizer dart.

His last thought before he succumbed to the darkness was that he did not have the foresight to record a reminder this time round.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please take a minute to review this chapter. The story is feeling a little unloved after the drop in reviews for the last chapter. :P


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys. Here's the next chapter. Hope that you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 18**

(by elle6778)

Max strode angrily towards the door leading to the underground access. None of them could believe what they had just seen on the surveillance monitor. What Zack and Jack had just done was not part of the plan.

Before she could lay a hand on the keypad, the door swung open. A frazzled looking Jack strode in, followed a disgruntled Zack.

"What do you think you're doing?" Max asked furiously. "You're not supposed to bring him in!"

Jack sighed wearily. "There was a hoverdrone nearby and we were kind of attracting a lot of attention out there. People were getting curious."

Zack banged his fists against the wall in frustration. "This can't be happening."

"Where is he now?" Max asked, looking beyond them but not seeing any sign of Alec.

Zack gestured to the door. "Left him in the tunnel."

Max groaned. "Zack…"

"Yeah, I know. The plan was to dump him somewhere while we clear out of here. I don't need you to remind me, Max," Zack said dryly.

"So what are we going to do now?" she asked worriedly. They could not just leave Alec in the access tunnel completely unguarded.

"The tranquilizer will last for a while, but we need to move fast," Jack said thoughtfully.

"How are we supposed to get anywhere when he's in the middle of the tunnel leading to our garage?"

Zack sighed. "Let's go join the rest," he said as he brushed past her, heading towards the door to the Control Room.

The two of them trailed behind Zack, navigating a series of maze-like tunnels before they reached the door to the Command Centre.

When they entered, Eva stood up with a worried frown on her face. "Zack, tell me you didn't really bring him in."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Zack replied tersely. "We don't have a choice, okay."

Eva groaned. "What are we going to do now?"

"Leave him there until we completed the relocation to Terminal City?" Zane suggested.

Tinga shook her head. "That's not going to work. We need that access tunnel to get to the garage, remember? Otherwise we'd have to leave the heavy stuff and vehicles behind."

"Just hold him somewhere out of the way while we get the hell out of here," Zack snapped, obviously reaching the end of his patience.

Zane laid a hand on Zack's shoulders. "Whoa, just chill, okay? We'll find some way around this," he said in a placating voice. Then turning to Jack, he asked, "Do we have a cell or something to stash him in?"

Rolling her eyes, Max replied instead. "This isn't Manticore, Zane. And we've never taken any prisoners. We don't have holding cells, remember?"

Jack sat down on one of the chairs in front of the console and brought up a map of the area. "Look. This place is huge. We can lock him in one of the rooms in the residential block."

"If he escapes, we are doomed," Tinga pronounced darkly.

"We'll just have to make sure that he's really, really secured."

Eva frowned. "I don't think it's a good idea to have him anywhere near here. There's way too much potential for exposure."

"The fact that he found this place is exposure enough," Zack muttered sourly.

Max rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we know that, Zack. Hence the original plan of dropping him somewhere _far_ away, remember?"

"Enough of this! We're not getting anywhere," Eva said in an uncharacteristically irritated tone of voice.

The rest of them fell silent.

Zack finally spoke. "Look. We can't get out with everything that's going on out there now. Someone would have called the cops by now. So let's stash him somewhere at the end of the facility, away from the main compound. Then when everything calms down outside, we revert back to our original plan, okay?"

"How long is he going to stay unconscious? We probably have to move fast," Max remarked nervously. If Alec woke up, there was bound to be trouble.

Jack scratched his head. "I don't know. The stuff is new, a mix of tranquilizer and immobilizer. We know about the tranqs but the immobiliser affects everyone differently. I'd say a couple of hours, give or take."

Zane stared around incredulously. "That's all? What are we waiting for then? Let's get him moved out of the access tunnel."

"I really hope someone has tested the stuff," Max muttered, but no one seemed to pay any attention to her.

"Jack, can you get a couple of the Ordinaries to set up a holding cell at the old residential block?" Eva said.

Mack interjected. "It's going to them longer. It's faster if you do it."

"Right. Eva, Tinga… you stay here. We don't need Alec to recognise another one of us if he accidentally wakes up. Max and Zane, you two set up the holding cell. Jack and I will get him moved," Zack barked out the instructions. He scanned the room. "Still no sign of Seth?"

Max shook her head. "Couldn't find him. His cellphone is switched off."

Jack shuffled uncomfortably. "I guess he'll find out about this when he finally gets back."

"Yeah," Max muttered. Seth would no doubt blow his top at this latest development. But Max could not say that she blamed him this time. The whole situation was quickly spiralling out of control.

"Come on, Max. Let's get a room for your pretty boy," Zane teased.

She bared her teeth at him. "He's not _my_ anything!"

* * *

Alec opened his eyes to find himself in a dark, musty place. What the-? 

Then it came back to him. He remembered the tranquilizer. And Manticore. His entire body felt weak, numb almost. With some effort, he managed to twitch his fingers, but that was about all he could do. This tranquilizer was something else, he thought in annoyance.

Glancing around, he noted that he was in a tunnel of some sort. Tunnel? Why would he be in a tunnel? He was expecting to wake up back in Manticore. In some punishment room, if not Psy-Ops.

He suddenly tensed as a thought occurred to him. Unless it was not Manticore who had shot him. But those two who took him down…Those two were fast. He was sure that they were not Ordinaries. No Ordinaries could fight on the same level with X5s.

Which could only mean one thing.

Max, Seth and at least two other males were either transgenics or something else. Since he was almost certain that Max and Seth were X5s, it was highly likely that the other two were also X5s.

So all of them must be transgenics.

But Manticore would not have sent four undercover X5s to do the same job. It was too risky and also completely unnecessary. So, the only thing that made sense was that these four were not working for Manticore. Suddenly Max's and Seth's refusal to return to Manticore with him gave itself a new meaning. They must be working for Unitech all along.

Then Alec remembered Seth's presence in the Seattle facility. He frowned in confusion. Was Seth a spy for Unitech and had somehow managed to infiltrate Manticore? But what about Seth's file in the database? Perhaps that file had been tampered with?

How on earth did a bunch of transgenics end up working for the enemy against their own creators?

What the hell was going on?

The sound of a door scraping open in the distance startled him out of his thoughts. They were coming for him.

Alec immediately shut his eyes and forced his body to relax. They were bound to be more off-guard if they thought he was still unconscious. This was one hell of a way to gain access, he thought with amusement.

But at least it was not Manticore. It was still possible for him to escape then. Whatever happened, he was definitely not going back to that place. The recordings had reminded him of a lot of things.

The footsteps came closer, getting louder by the second.

Hold still, Alec told himself silently.

A boot prodded him lightly on his thighs, and then he heard one of them speak.

"He's still out."

"Hopefully he stays this way until we get him to the holding room."

"Come on."

He heard the shuffling of two pairs of boots before he felt himself being lifted up and deposited on a shoulder. Alec kept his body limp, slumping over listlessly. The indignity of it did not escape him. When he finally got out of his predicament, someone was going to pay, he vowed.

But at this moment, he was not sure who that someone was.

They moved at the rapid pace down what Alec guessed was the rest of the tunnel. And then, after a long while, he heard a door creaking open.

Bright sunlight filtered through the thin skin of his eyelids, telling him that they were outdoors. By his estimation, they had moved at least three miles from where they had left him originally. Then they continued to move. Ten minutes later, the drop in temperature and the still air told him that they were indoors again.

The door shut behind them before Alec heard a voice he recognised.

"We found a room. But we still have to work on its security." It was Max, he realised in satisfaction. Now he would get some answers. "The windows need securing and we need a lock on the door," Max continued.

Alec pushed away the urge to open his eyes to look at her. He felt himself being passed on to another person. Male, he noted. The arms were too large to belong to Max. Subtly, he tried to move his arms just to find that his limbs were still not fully cooperating with his mind. But it was a little better than the last time he tried it.

One of the guys from the tunnel said, "I'll go back and get the stuff. You think the two of you can handle him?"

Max retorted in an offended tone, "What do you take me for? Of course I can!"

Alec stifled the urge to laugh. A teasing voice which Alec did not recognise then added, "Don't worry. I'm here to keep an eye on her. Make sure that she doesn't ravish the prisoner."

"You have a death wish or something, Zane?" Max threatened in a biting voice.

"We'll be back soon. Just try not to kill each other, alright?" the one from the tunnel interjected, his voice long-suffering. Then, fading footsteps told Alec that two had left the building.

The teasing voice piped up, "Let's get your baby into bed."

He really got a death wish, Alec thought in amusement.

"He's NOT my baby!" Max denied hotly. "My baby has two wheels and its much more accommodating than this smartass."

Hearing the tone of outrage in her voice, Alec swallowed his laughter. He really should not find this funny at all. Being captured was no laughing matter, but their interactions were something else entirely.

They deposited him on something soft. A bed, he guessed. Well, this was definitely an unexpected luxury.

"I can't believe Zack left him in the tunnel completely unbound. Where's the rope?" Max asked grouchily. "We need to tie him up before he wakes up."

"The rope? I thought you had it?" the one called Zane replied, sounding bewildered.

"No, Zane. _YOU_ were supposed to get it, remember?" Max bit out in annoyance.

If he could, Alec would have rolled his eyes. Much as their interactions amused him, it occurred to him that the way they were going on, he should have been able to escape long ago and taken them down along the way if he had the mind to. If only he was not tranquillised. Or perhaps it was something else. This was like no other tranquilizer that he had ever been shot with. He should have been able to move freely by now.

He tried to wiggle his toes. To his surprise, they moved easily. Yes! The numbness was definitely receding. He could feel his limbs again. Now, all he had to do was to find a chance to gain an upper hand. In the meantime, he would continue to pretend to be helpless.

Grumbling under his breath, Zane reluctantly conceded. "I'll go get it then."

They were alone, Alec suddenly realised. Max and him were the only two left there.

As he debated whether he should let Max know that he was awake, he suddenly felt her coming closer. He _smelt _her coming closer; that subtle scent of citrus and flowers tickling his senses. Curious as to what she intended to do, Alec decided that he should wait before he do anything.

To his surprise, he felt her fingers on his forehead. Her touch was gentle, caring almost. If he was not already keeping so still, he would have froze up at the shock of it. Her fingers trailed down the side of his face softly, and his skin exploded in goosebumps.

Then, of all things, she sighed heavily.

What was she sighing for? Not that he had any objections to her touch, but he just had the shock of his life. Having one's nemesis caress one's face was not an ordinary occurrence.

Unless, of course, she harboured some feelings towards him. Strangely enough, his heart jumped a little at the thought. How did he feel about that? Confused, he filed it in his mind for future dissection.

Right now, however, she would be mortified if she realised that he was awake.

The temptation was too much for him to resist.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to stare right into her chocolate brown ones. A little gasp escaped her lips as her eyes widened in shock. Then he watched in amusement when her cheeks reddened, obviously realising what had just happened.

The sudden stinging feeling on his cheek was the first thing he received as a reaction from her. His ears rang at the sharp impact.

"You!" she gritted out through clenched teeth, her eyes flashing in fury.

Or was it embarrassment? Slowly, he raised his hands to his throbbing cheek.

"You can move!" she exclaimed in alarm, flicking a glance at the closed door.

Alec grinned. "You didn't think that it was that easy to take me down, did you?"

He watched as her face returned to its normal colour. It was a shame. He was beginning to enjoy watching a flustered Max.

She snorted derisively. "You won't be able to escape, so don't even bother trying."

He tilted his head to the side. "Who said I want to escape?"

A quick scan around him told him that he was in a bedroom. There was a metal-frame bed to one side of the wall and an open, empty cupboard to the other side. There was a window in the third wall, he noted before shifting his gaze back to Max.

She stared at him with a guarded look on her face.

He swung his legs off the bed, keeping his motions deliberately slow. She did not know it, but he still felt the effects of whatever they had shot him up with. He kept his steps slow and steady as he walked towards her.

"So, Max. Care to tell me what you were doing just now?" he asked with a straight face when he reached her.

Her eyes flickered uncertainly. "What?"

"You know what," he stated meaningfully.

"You must have hit your head or something when you fell down," she snapped irritably.

"Fine. Don't tell me about _that_ if you don't want to. But tell me one thing," he paused, observing how her entire body tensed as she eyed him warily.

He watched her intently to gauge her reaction. "How did a bunch of transgenics end up working for Unitech?"

Her expression became shuttered. So, his suspicions were correct after all, Alec thought, his curiosity spiking. How on earth did Manticore manage to lose a bunch of transgenics?

When she continued to remain silent, he prompted, "So?"

"You've got the wrong end of the stick," she said tightly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Have I? Tell me, Max. Is your designation really 453?"

There was a slight hesitation before she replied. "You already know my designation. Why ask again?"

"Why? Because the real 453 is in the field somewhere else. Not in Seattle," he pointed out casually.

Her hands clenched. "I've had enough of this. Get back into the bed and don't even think of moving," she ordered angrily. "And don't make me ask twice, 'cause I'd be more than happy to physically throw you there myself."

A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "Gee, Max. I know that I'm irresistible and all, but you should really get a grip on yourself."

"Why you…" she gritted out.

Her arm suddenly snapped out. Alec ducked just in time to avoid a direct hit to his face.

Quickly stepping behind her, he reached out and grabbed her arms in a lock. Grinning, he tightened his grip and pushed her against the wall.

"Let me go, you dumbass!" she snarled, struggling against his hold.

"Tsk, tsk, Max. I didn't know you like it rough," he whispered into her ear.

She let out a growl of frustration. Kicking against the wall, she tried to push him off, but he held fast.

Sobering up, he asked, "Now, are you going to tell me what's going on with you X5s working for the opposition?"

"Not a chance," she spat venomously.

"Well, let me-" he broke off abruptly as someone yanked him off her roughly.

The next thing he knew, he was pinned to the very same wall with a strong arm pressed against his neck. The man he recognised as Max's partner back in Davies's mansion glared at him.

"Now, this is not exactly what I expected to see," the man said levelly. "I kinda figured that Max would be the one jumping you, not the other way round," he continued in a light tone, but Alec could see that the guy was not too amused by the situation.

Max glared at both of them.

Zane. That was his name, Alec thought, recognising the voice. With a smirk, he replied, "Just passing time."

Zane's eyes glittered. Without averting his eyes, he called out to Max. "Let's tie him up before he does some serious damage to himself."

Pulled away from the wall and onto the bed, Alec rolled his eyes as Max began to tie his limbs together to the metal bedpost. He did not bother to struggle. What was the point? He needed some answers from these guys anyway. "You know as well as I do that this will not hold me for long," he commented lightly.

"Yeah, but it'll hold you long enough," Zane replied as he inspected the bonds. Apparently satisfied, he nodded at Max.

Alec raised an eyebrow. "Looks like your partner doesn't trust your work, Max."

Obviously still annoyed by their earlier interaction, Max glowered at him. "Shut up!" Then she turned to Zane. "Pass me the syringe. I'll give him the shot. Then we might get some peace around here."

Alec's eyes widened as Zack passed her a packet and a vial. They were not planning to give him that weird shot again, were they? "Hey, I promise to be good. No need for the shot."

"You wish," Max retorted, and then, with an evil gleam in her eyes, she unwrapped the syringe and drew the liquid from the vial. "Sleep well, smartass!" she whispered before she plunged the syringe into his arm.

"You-"

For the second time that day, Alec felt himself sinking into the darkness.

* * *

Max and Zane strode into the Command Centre just in time to hear Seth's outburst. He, Eva, Tinga and Jack were gathered around the layout table at the centre of the room. Mack was seated at the console, looking as if all he wanted to do was to escape the room. 

"What the hell did you do that for? Now he'd know where to find us," Seth snarled angrily.

Max sighed. Someone had filled Seth in and not surprisingly, he was fuming.

"He was sniffing around. There was no way of securing him without causing a scene. We're just going to hold him until we move out of here," Eva explained wearily.

"And where's Zack?" Seth asked, glancing around.

"He's securing the holding cell. He's taking the first watch, and then he'll call one of us to rotate," Max replied, gesturing in the general direction of the old residential block. "Where were you? We've been trying to get hold of you."

"Busy," he replied shortly.

Max's eyes narrowed. "If you weren't so _busy_, then you would have had a chance to raise your objections before we did anything, Seth."

"You don't need my input to know that it's risky to have him in our compound," Seth pointed out tersely.

Jack ventured in his usual soft-spoken manner, "You know, Seth. It's really not that big a deal. We were planning on relocating anyway. The link to Terminal City is almost complete. All this means is that we move our timetable forward by a few weeks."

"That's not what I'm worried about. It's the fact that he now knows that we're all transgenics."

Max's eyes flashed. "He already knows that two of us are X5s."

Seth banged his hand against the table, making the rest of them jump. "He knows us as 354 and 453, part of Manticore's team, working undercover in Unitech. How do you explain Zack and Jack's presence then? That Manticore sent four undercover operatives all to the same place?"

Having had enough of his attitude, Max stepped up to him and stabbed a finger into his chest. "You think you've got it all worked out? Then explain _why_ he's sniffing around here. And while you're at it, explain how Alec found out that the _real_ 453 is in the field somewhere away from Seattle. Who knows, he might even find out where's the _real_ 354."

Seth froze, and then an odd flicker appeared in his eyes. "How did he find out about 453?"

"How should I know? He challenged me about it just a while ago," Max said irritably, wondering what else Seth was hiding from them.

With a frown on his face, Zane interjected, "Seth, now that we're on this topic, do you mind telling us what exactly your deal is with Manticore?"

"That's not the issue here," Seth evaded abruptly.

Her expression set in grim lines, Eva spoke firmly. "No, Seth, I think it _is_ an issue here. You walk in and out whenever you feel like it without even giving us any idea what you're doing all this time." Pausing, she inhaled deeply. "When we call for a meeting, you're nowhere to be found. And then you storm in here and attack our decision. A decision which, by the way, Lydecker had approved. No, Seth. I think it's time you tell us what exactly are you up to out there, Manticore-related or otherwise."

Seth stared at her silently.

Max held her breath. Was he going to finally tell them what was going on?

Tinga added in a gentler tone, "Seth, we're just a little worried."

Looking a little torn, Seth looked down at the table at his clenched hands. To Max's dismay, when he lifted his head, his chin was set in an uncompromising line.

"Seth…" Tinga ventured uncertainly.

"I've got to go," Seth bit out coldly.

And then he left the room.

Max released the breath she had been holding and locked eyes with a tired-looking Eva. Zane was rubbing his forehead, looking exasperated. Tinga and Jack just stared at each other thoughtfully.

"That went well," Eva remarked dryly, breaking the silence.

Then Zane suddenly brightened. "Let's follow him,"

"Erm, Zane, I'm not sure that would a good idea," Jack said with a frown. "Seth will know he's being followed."

Max let out an exasperated sigh. "Our tracking skills aren't that bad."

"It's not a bad idea, you know," Tinga added. "If I don't feel so clumsy with this belly, I'd go."

"I'll go with you, Zane" Max offered.

Eva shook her head at Max. "You stay and keep an eye on the X5." She headed towards the door. "Come on, Zane. I'll go with you."

With that, the two of them dashed out of the Command Centre.

* * *

It was late in the night, but the place was still buzzing with activity. Max was still in the middle of helping Mack dismantle the testing equipment in the laboratory when Zack walked in. 

Glancing around, he noted, "There's still a lot to pack."

"Tell me about it," Mack grumbled as he straightened up from a box. "It would have been nice to have a little more time," he said, stifling a yawn.

Max gave the Ordinary a concerned look. "Why don't you go home, Mack? It's been a long day. Go catch some sleep."

"Yeah. We'll handle the packing for now," Zack added.

Mack nodded. With a small wave, he said, "Well, see you tomorrow."

When he left the room, Max turned to Zack. "My turn now?"

Zack looked around them. "This can wait for a few hours. Alec's awake. Let's go. I'll walk you there."

Max raised her eyebrow. "You left him there alone?" she asked, incredulous.

"He can't really move yet. The last shot's still in effect." Then Zack frowned thoughtfully. "I asked him a few questions. About why he's here and all."

"And?" she prompted curiously as she walked beside him.

"He said that he's not here on Manticore's orders," Zack said uncertainly. "And he seems to be bitter about something."

"Bitter?" Max echoed disbelievingly, her steps faltering. Were they talking about the same person here? Alec? Bitter? He seemed to be his usual cocky self when she had seen him earlier.

"He didn't say anything. It's just a feeling I got from him. Also, he's asking questions about us and Unitech. But it seemed more like curiosity than any real attempt to gather information. I'm not sure what to believe."

Max snorted. "He's just faking it."

"I don't know. I think I'm going to ask Lydecker if he's able to get hold of some information from Manticore," Zack said as he opened the door which led them to the access tunnel.

"Or maybe strap him to a lie detector."

"I think Manticore would have trained him to fake his responses."

Max shrugged. "No harm in trying, right?"

Zack pulled out something from his pocket. "I found this on him."

Max took it from him. It was a voice recorder. "Did you ask him about it?"

"He didn't answer. But he looked a bit unnerved." Zack paused for a moment, and then continued, "I'm just wondering what you think of the guy."

Surprised at the question, Max asked, "Why? It's not like I know him that well."

"But you've bumped into him on more than one occasion. You must have got some sort of impression."

"He's Manticore, Zack. They were taught to wear masks," Max said flatly.

Zack sighed. "Just think about it, okay?"

A small frown etched between her brows, Max continued to walk along the tunnel, mulling over Zack's question.

What did she _really_ think of Alec?

**t.b.c.**

* * *

A/N: Okay, guys, that's it for now. The end of this story is in sight now, and more MA is coming up. I'm trying to wrap it all up in three to four chapters. So, please review! Your encouragement right now would be greatly appreciated. :grins: 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N:- :Hugs everyone: Thank you for reading and reviewing. Glad you're still following the story. I know this chapter's a little late, but it's actually two chapters merged into one, so enjoy the long read:grins:

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 19**

(by elle6778)

The room had been deathly silent every since the one called Zack had left. Alec let his eyes wander around for what seemed like the hundredth time. The window was boarded up now, no doubt to prevent him from escaping.

He smirked inwardly. That was the last thing he wanted to do. They would not believe it if he told them that he much preferred being there rather than back in Manticore. Come to think of it, he might even offer his services to them.

For a fee, of course.

But first things first. He needed to be sure that they were really on the other side. Things were still unclear to him. He remembered how Zack had looked when he had asked all those questions earlier. Unsurprisingly, the guy had given him no answers, but Alec could read expressions well enough to tell that he was hiding something.

All Alec needed was for them to admit that they were not on Manticore's side and the reasons behind it.

It was not going to be easy to get any of them to talk. Not that he blamed them, really. Considering that this was the second time he had gone AWOL, it was proof enough that he himself was not too fond of Manticore. Especially after having his memories erased not once, but twice. Who knew how many other times Manticore had done it to him?

He scowled darkly. But there was no way that Max and the rest were going to believe him even if he told them the truth. What could he say? That he saw the light once he regained his memories? That he resented being told to obey orders he did not agree with and to be brainwashed as and when Manticore felt like it?

The voice recorder was the only thing which had saved him.

Alec groaned. And now Zack had it with him, he thought, feeling acutely uncomfortable.

The content of the voice recorder was not something he wanted anyone to listen to. It was too personal, especially the recording on Rachel. He knew that they would not be able to understand what it meant, but still, he did not feel comfortable with the idea.

The second recording would tell them of his suspicions. But they should have figured that out by themselves, considering that Zack's questions even before he had gotten hold of the recorder.

Alec tugged at his arms. The bonds still held fast. Then he tried to move his legs.

He exhaled in relief when his toes moved. The second shot was wearing off much quicker than the first one. His body must have gotten used to it. If Zack had realised that, he would not have left him alone like this, Alec thought in amusement.

He thought back to what he had seen of them so far. Judging by how haphazardly everything was run, he was surprised that they had managed to keep off Manticore's radar. But since when? When had they switched sides?

It must have been quite long, he deduced. Their behaviour and their interaction told him how comfortable they were with each other. And although they had exhibited some Manticore-bred traits, they were much more relaxed and less rigid in their thinking.

It was something that he wished were true for his interaction with the transgenics in Manticore. He had been the most comfortable with 511, but look where it had gotten 511 now. He had tried so many times, but there was no way to snap the other transgenic out of Manticore's brainwashing.

Alec sighed and tried to roll to his side just to be reminded again that his wrists and ankles were still bound to the posts. An uncomfortable pressure was also beginning to form in his lower regions, telling him that he had to do something about it soon.

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching.

Unconsciously, he brightened. Max, he thought. Perhaps she would be more forthcoming than Zack had been. After all, they knew each other, right?

The door opened.

His heart sank when he realised who it was.

Then, putting on a cheerful face, he greeted his visitor with a smile. "Seth." His tone contained a tinge of amusement.

Going straight to the point, Seth asked coldly, "What are you doing here, 494?"

Alec's eyebrow shot up. "It's Alec, don't you remember?"

Seth stared at him expressionlessly. And then he stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind him. Alec's eyes flicked to the door, suddenly beginning to be wary of Seth's presence. A thought suddenly occurred to him. Maybe Seth was still working for Manticore.

If so, he was so screwed.

"Fine. _Alec_, then. Why are you here?"

Alec shrugged. "Just visiting, really."

Seth's eyes hardened. "You're spying for Manticore."

Taken aback by the accusation, Alec tensed a little before he replied. "I could say the same for you."

The muscle under Seth's eye ticked. "This is not about me."

"Oh yeah? How about this? You tell me what I want to know, and I'll do the same," Alec challenged.

Seth glared at him. "You seemed to have forgotten that you're the prisoner here," he remarked coldly.

Alec smirked as he let his eyes wander around the room. It was comfortable compared to his accommodation back in Manticore. "Prisoner? You know, I kind of like it here. Might just decide to stay."

His scowl deepening, Seth snapped, "Enough of the evasion tactics. You're here for a reason and you're going to tell me what it is."

Alec gave him a thoughtful look. "Actually, I'm here because I miss Max's company. Fieldwork got a little boring without her around to mess things up for me."

Seth's eyes widened incredulously. "You stay away from her," he warned harshly.

Alec's smirk grew. "What? Scared that she'd pick me over you?"

Snorting, Seth retorted, "Hardly."

"I heard rumours that she's got a thing for me," he prodded casually. Oh well, fine! He was curious.

Seth's eyes flickered. "You heard wrong."

"Really? I bet that's not what you think. Max been a little distant lately?" Alec taunted. He had no idea if it was the truth, but if he could rattle Seth, why not? He was bored anyway.

Stepping close to him, Seth hissed in his face. "I'm not going to warn you again to stay away from Max. She's none of your concern. What you need to worry more is yourself right now."

Alec did not blink. "Is that a threat, 354?"

Seth stiffened.

Raising an eyebrow, Alec continued, "Or is it 353? Or maybe 355? What's your _real_ designation, Seth?"

"You've got a vivid imagination."

"I've been told. But it's always very close to the truth," Alec said with a grin.

"Are you finding this funny?" Seth sounded as if he was about to snap.

"Hey, chill. I promise I won't tell Manticore."

"You and 511 were assigned to a mission in Portland. So why are you here in Seattle?"

Alec smirked. "I see you've done your homework."

"Answer the question, Alec," Seth rapped out icily.

Alec tossed him a challenging look. "What are you going to do if I don't?"

* * *

She walked at an unrushed pace, deep in thought. The whole thing seemed surreal. Alec being _there_ seemed surreal. But the risk of exposure was real enough. How much had he told Manticore?

But had he told Manticore anything at all? If he had, then why was he here alone? He would have known that Unitech was heavily guarded. Manticore would not have sent him in alone to be ambushed.

Zack's question back in the Command Centre came back to mind.

What did she really think of Alec? Her lips twitched. On hindsight, although he had always been a pain in the ass, she had to admit that their previous encounters gave her a rush. It was one thing going on a regular assignment, but it was another thing going on an assignment where there was a real challenge.

_Was that it, Max? All you recall was your interactions during the assignments?_

She frowned. What else was there to remember?

_His smirk? The way his hazel eyes twinkled? Your heat? His lips, his hands on your body? His thigh between your legs?_

Max flushed. Fine, Alec was attractive. And she was human enough to be susceptible to his charms. Yes, in his own cocky way, the man was charming. And she had been spending way too much time thinking about that particular aspect of his personality.

And now she was going to see him.

Suddenly she felt awkward. For the last six hours, she had forced herself not to think about the little incident with Alec the last time she had seen him. But now that she was almost there, it all came back to her again.

She cringed inwardly. When she had seen him lying there with such a peaceful expression, she had not been able to help herself from studying him and wondering if Ben would have turned out like him. She smiled a little. Nah, she doubted that Ben would have become such a smartass if he had lived through the break-out. But what possessed her to touch Alec like that? That, in itself, was embarrassing enough. But he had been awake all that time to witness it.

A mocking voice in her head taunted her. _Yeah, that's the only reason why you touched him, right?_

She glowered at herself. Of course. Why else would she do that?

_Because you just wanted to touch him. Just to see feel his skin. Because, admit it, Max, you've got a thing for him._

That was just the after-effects of the heat, she thought irritably. Hormones overruling brain, nothing more.

_Yeah, that's why he has been on your mind, but not the other guy, right? Remember, Max? There was another X5 there at that time? But all you remember is Alec. Stop kidding yourself, Max._

Max groaned out loud. No, no, no. She did not need a reminder of his scent, his heated gaze and their frantic groping just minutes before she had to go in to see him.

"Max? Are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped up to Zack's concerned ones. And then she realised that they were already in the building and Alec's room was at the end of the hallway.

Forcing a smile onto her lips, she replied, "Yeah."

"What are you thinking?"

Max felt her cheeks warming. If Zack knew what she was thinking… "Nothing," she said in an overly bright voice, wincing as she did so.

Zack opened his mouth to speak but suddenly halted in his tracks. He held a hand up. "Wait. I hear something," he remarked, his tone belying his wariness.

Max stilled and listened. Then they exchanged a worried glance, their eyes widening in comprehension.

"Seth," they said in unison before rushing down to Alec's room.

Zack pushed the door open and Max skidded in beside him.

Seth was standing over Alec. At their abrupt entry, he straightened to look at them, his expression completely bland. Max suppressed a shiver. Seth definitely looked as if he belonged in Manticore. Her eyes flicked to Alec. Relief washed over her when she realised that Seth had not done anything to him.

"Everything alright?" Zack asked in a measured voice.

Seth nodded. "Is there a reason why it shouldn't be?"

Stepping closer to Seth, Max said carefully, "No. We just heard voices in here and got worried for a while."

"He was just telling me to behave," Alec interjected gamely. "Now why would I misbehave with you guys as such wonderful hosts?"

Max rolled her eyes at him. The guy did not seem bothered by the fact that he was being held against his will. "Can you just shut up for a minute?" she snapped at him.

"Hey, I'm just helping with the flow of conversation here," he defended himself, an affronted look on his face. "Seems like you guys need some help."

Max narrowed her eyes. "The conversation is between us three. You're not included."

"Max…" She could hear Seth calling her, but she ignored him.

Alec shook his head sadly. "I feel a little left out. We're all X5s after all. You could even say that we're family."

"Max…"

Her eyes rounded disbelievingly. "Family?" she squeaked. The image of Ben came flashing through her mind but she quickly shook it off before it took hold. "You've got to be kidding."

Blinking innocently, Alec adopted a hurt expression. "You wound me, Max."

She planted her hands on her hips. "Isn't that just too bad? Then maybe you will decide not to come spying on us, huh? And while you're at it, how about staying out of my way the next time we bump into each other in the field?"

"And I thought that you must have missed me," he said with a straight face.

"Alec…" she warned, her irritation bubbling to the surface.

"MAX!"

She snapped around to Seth. "What?" she snapped irritably. What was so important that Seth had to keep interrupting her?

"He's the prisoner," Seth pointed out meaningfully. "Watch what you say."

Her eyes flashed in indignation. "I'm not stupid, Seth. I'm not saying anything he doesn't know already. So chill, alright?" She sneaked a glance at Alec to find the guy watching their interaction with interest.

"You just can't grasp how serious this is, can you?" Seth gritted out.

Max let out a bark of laughter. "Oh, believe me, I do. And you're not helping matters either. If you'd just _talk_ to us, then maybe all these wouldn't have happened."

"I told you I have my reasons." His tone was evasive.

"That's just a pathetic excuse, Seth."

Zack stepped in. "Seth, I think Jack was looking for you a second ago," he said, obviously trying to defuse the mounting tension in the room.

Max continued to glare at Seth. Seth was just looking back at her with a stony expression pasted on his face. After a few seconds, he broke their eye contact and turned to Zack.

"Where's Jack?"

Zack gestured to the door as he grabbed Seth's arm. "I'll walk you there."

Then they were gone, leaving her alone with Alec.

He was the first to break the silence. "Interesting relationships you've got there." Then his tone became thoughtful. "You got Zack, who's like this strong and quiet older brother. Then you got one called Zane. Now he's like the annoying kid brother. I would say that it sounds like you've got yourself a happy family."

She gaped at him, wondering how he managed to deduce all of that in the short time he was there.

He continued, "Of course, the happy family thing kind of goes straight out of the window when you add Seth into the equation. What is he to you, Max? A brother? A boy-friend?"

What? She really did not need this now. Groaning in frustration, she muttered, "Mind your own business." But her voice lacked her usual bite. His accurate assessment of her family unnerved her.

He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "I'm just curious, Max. You know what it's like in Manticore, right? Everything is so cold and impersonal. Watching you and the rest gives me warm fuzzy feelings."

She glared at him. "If you don't quit yapping, the only thing you'll feel is my boots against your ass. Get it?"

He looked pained. "Gee, Max. Did anyone ever tell you that you've got to get a grip on that violence? And why has it got to be always my ass?"

Letting out a groan of exasperation, she turned her back on him and went to the couch, bent on ignoring him. Being left alone with him was disconcerting enough without him talking non-stop. Settling down, she picked up a magazine left there by Zack. Thumbing through it, she wrinkled her nose at the contents. Cars. Bikes were better.

"Didn't know that cars are your thing," he remarked casually.

It was not, but why should she tell him? "What do you know, anyway?" she muttered, flipping to another page.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him shrug. "Just trying to get to know you better, that's all."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion but she did not say anything. They remained in silence as she continued to scan through the magazine. Good. At least she would have some peace now, she thought grumpily.

"How did you join this group anyway?

She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. _Ignore him, Max. Just ignore him._

He continued blithely. "You guys get paid for this, right? Or did the company foot the bills for things like the car your Krit owns?"

Max froze. How did he know about Krit? How close was he to finding out who they really were? Slamming down the magazine, she got up and stalked towards him. Ignoring his smirk, she leaned down close.

"What do you know about Krit?" she bit out harshly.

He winced visibly. "Hey, is that a sore topic?"

"Cut the crap, Alec! What do you know about us?" she asked again, poking him in the chest with her finger.

"Ouch! Max, that hurts."

"It's going to hurt a hell of a lot more if you don't tell me what you know," she threatened, smacking the side of his head lightly.

He looked at her worriedly. "Do you mind asking Zack to baby-sit? I think I feel safer with him."

Glowering darkly, she ignored the shot and pressed on. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

Alec sighed wearily. "Will you even believe me if I tell you?"

"Try me."

Sobering up, he gave her an assessing look. And then, seemingly coming to a decision, he nodded slightly. "Fine. I'll tell you."

"I know for sure that you and Seth are X5s. Seth, because of Manticore. And you…" His eyes took on a strange gleam. "Well, let's just say that I have no doubt that you're an X5."

Max clamped her teeth together, knowing fully well what Alec was referring to.

Then he continued, "Zane, Zack and the other one who knocked me out? Was it Jack? Well, I'm guessing that they are X5s as well. They are too strong to be Ordinaries. Now, what I don't understand is what are you guys doing outside of Manticore? Undercover is a possibility, but Manticore never sends so many units out on the same undercover assignment. It just did not make sense. So, if you're not here on Manticore's orders, then who are you working for? Unitech?" He gave her a questioning look.

"Do I look like I'm going to give you an answer?" Max questioned blandly.

His lips twitched. "I kind of hoped that since I'm being honest, you should be too."

"We've got much more to lose than you," she said evasively.

Alec tensed visibly. "Something to lose?" And then his voice turned so soft that Max had to strain to hear it. "Let me tell you something about losing, alright? When you and Seth pulled this stunt on me, it cost me my partner. He's been sent to Psy-Ops? Do you know what that is?"

Max swallowed. "Why was he sent there?"

"The director got a call from a 453 somewhere out of Seattle. So, when 511 said that he was with 453 in Seattle, she thought he was lying. Sending him to Psy-Ops was to reindoctrinate him, to make him an obedient soldier again. Well, it worked. 511 don't remember shit about anything that happened before he was sent there, even when I tried so hard to remind him."

Max's heart constricted. She did not know. She did not realise that the lie Seth had told about her designation would have such a terrible consequence. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, but fully buried in his thoughts, the glazed look in his eyes told her that Alec was not listening.

"Then when I tried to back 511 up, she threw me in there as well," he continued flatly. "Do you know what it's like to wake up feeling completely blank? Like you remember the basic routines but nothing else? Like you're nobody, just a machine to be used?" This time there was an edge to his voice.

"Alec…" Her eyes softened at the obvious pain in his expression. Moving closer, she sat on the edge of his bed and put a hand on his chest.

His expression hardened and she pulled back her hand abruptly. He continued to speak. "I remember what happened. Thanks to a small device, I remember what happened this time and the last time." He took a deep breath. "I will not go back there," he vowed resolutely.

Her eyes widened. Alec escaped from Manticore? Her mind reeled at the information. He had had enough so he decided to run off? But why did he come here then? Why did he not just run as far as he could away from Manticore?

A twinge of suspicion nudged her. Was he telling the truth or was this some ploy to get her to talk? She wanted to believe him, but the risk on their freedom was too high.

"Why did you come here? Why remain in Seattle when you know that Manticore is going to come after you?" she voiced her thoughts.

Alec snorted. "If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you want to find out who managed to cause so much trouble and get away with it?"

She frowned. "That's it?"

Then she saw a flash of hesitation in his eyes. A moment of silence passed before he finally said. "I also want to know that if you're not 453, then who exactly are you?"

"Me?"

Looking away, he nodded. "Is it 452, or 454? Which one is it?"

Max continued to stare at him, trying to proves the information. Finding out her real identity seemed to be a weak reason to risk his own freedom. Why did he do it? She lowered her gaze to her hands.

Unless, of course, he felt…

_No, don't even go there, Max,_ she scolded herself. She had to remain impartial and not let her attraction for him cloud her judgement.

"It's your turn."

"What?" She looked at him, startled at the suddenness of his words.

He gave her a pointed look. "I told you my story. Now it's your turn."

She inhaled deeply. "How do I know you're not lying to me?"

He shrugged. "You don't."

"Then why should I tell you anything?"

"Because you have to trust me."

"Trust you? I don't _know _you, Alec! How do I know if I could trust you? The last time I trusted you, you tried to take my watch from me," she pointed out, suddenly feeling irritated.

Alec groaned. "That was different. I had a mission to complete."

"For all I know, you're on a mission now."

"I'm not."

This time, it was Max's turn to groan. "Alec, I can't tell you anything. Not right now, anyway," she said in a quiet voice.

His silent gaze unnerved her, and she looked away.

"I get it. You need to talk it over with the rest." He sounded resigned.

Sneaking a peek out of the corner of her eyes, she found him leaning back against the bed with his eyes shut.

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust him. Instincts told her that he was telling the truth. But she would not fool herself that she was the greatest judge of character. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes wearily.

She needed Zane to talk to Alec. Zane was the most perceptive of them all when it came to these things, not that she would ever admit that to his face.

Yeah, Zane would be able to tell.

* * *

They had been silent for a while now, Alec thought with his eyes still closed. But from the sounds of her soft breathing, he knew that she was still there. He shifted a little, trying to ease the mounting discomfort he was feeling. How long had he been there? It must be close to twelve hours by now, and he was beginning to really feel it.

No, he shook himself inwardly. Better to wait for the next shift before he made his discomfort known.

_Think about something else. Think about Max._

He had been watching her carefully when he had imparted his story to her. And for some reason, something told him that they were not the bad guys.

They were X5s, they were not the bad guys and they seemed to be an okay bunch.

And if his suspicions that they were some outcast group were correct, they had done well in avoiding Manticore all this time. Seth even managed to infiltrate Manticore. He guessed, like Max, Seth had adopted some other X5s designation, probably his clone's, and had been lucky enough not to be caught.

Yeah, they were good.

Alec sighed. He could do worse than to join them.

He wondered what their reaction would be if he announced that to them. Seth would probably explode. Alec's amusement lifted the corner of his lips.

But first, he needed to get them to trust him.

"What's so funny?"

His eyes still closed, he let his smile grow. So, she was looking at him, was she? Perhaps there was some truth in Zane's teasing. Perhaps he was not alone in feeling confused about his attraction.

"Alec?" she called out again.

He opened his eyes to look into a pair of suspicious brown orbs. "I'm just wondering about something, that's all."

"What?" Her voice was cautious.

"You really want to know?" he teased.

"Oh, just spit it out, will you?" she snapped impatiently.

She asked for it, he thought with some amusement. "I was wondering if you're attracted to me."

Her eyes widened as she stared at him disbelievingly. "What?" she asked weakly, her eyes flickering uncertainly.

He stifled a smirk. "You heard me," he said softly. Yes, that expression of hers definitely confirmed his suspicion.

She blinked. "What are you playing at, Alec?" she snapped irritably.

"You were the one who asked," he pointed out evenly. "Anyway, it's highly understandable if you are." Then he clarified, "Attracted to me, that is."

She bit her lips, drawing Alec's eyes to the way she was chewing the generous flesh. He swallowed hard, remembering how those lips had tasted on his tongue.

"Remember that day in the alleyway?" he asked slowly, carefully.

She looked away so that he could not see her expression. "Please don't remind me."

He smirked. "Admit it, you enjoyed it as much as I did."

She groaned. "It was just hormones, Alec. Don't mistake it for anything else."

He raised his eyebrows even though she was still looking away. "_My_ hormones remind me of it, and I'm sure yours do to. So, what do you think? Any chance of that happening again?"

She swivelled around abruptly. "What? No! What the hell are you trying to say here, Alec?" She sounded flustered.

An insistent pressure flooded his lower region, distracting him from her question. He grimaced, wondering how long more he could hold on before he embarrassed himself. It was reaching the critical point.

_Don't think about it_, he told himself again.

"Alec, are you okay?" This time her voice held a note of concern.

"Max, when is the next guard rotation?" he asked tightly.

She frowned as she looked at her watch. "Not for another four hours. Why?" Then she began to look suspicious. "You're not thinking of escaping, are you?"

He let out a heartfelt groan. "Believe me, that's the last thing on my mind."

"Then why do you ask?"

"You don't want to know." He sounded tortured.

"Alec…" she came closer. Then her hand was on his forehead. "You're not ill."

"I know," he said flatly.

She bristled. "You're going to tell me what's wrong before I kick your ass."

"FINE!" he exploded, finally deciding that he just could not wait any longer. "It's been something like twelve hours since you caught me," he gritted out pointedly.

Looking confused, she asked, "So?"

"A man has needs," he bit out tightly, feeling his face warm with embarrassment.

"Needs…" she mumbled thoughtfully, and then her eyes cleared. "Oh."

He closed his eyes. "Yeah. THAT need."

"But I got to let you go…"

Alec groaned. "I promise I'll not run."

She hesitated for a moment before she said, "Fine."

She bent down to untie the ropes bonding his ankles to the bedposts. The second he felt it loosen, he tried to sit up.

"Wait," she said as she went to the head of the bed.

As she fiddled with the bonds around his wrist, Alec found himself face to face with her breasts. He gulped. Her citrus and flowers scent invaded his nostrils, making him groan as a reaction stirred within him. No, he did not need to think of certain things right now.

He felt one of his wrists coming loose just to feel it being re-tied together with the other wrist. Then she pulled him up. His arms were still bound together behind him. No doubt this was a measure to prevent him from fighting while allowing him to walk to the washroom. Maybe she would take it off later.

"Come with me," she said gruffly, obviously just as embarrassed with the situation as he was.

Nodding, he followed her out and walked down a deserted hallway. A short distance later, they turned around a corner and reached the washrooms. Gesturing to the door with a male stick figure stuck on the on it, she said, "Well, do what you have to do, but don't try anything stupid."

She was not planning to untie his hand, he noted incredulously.

With a long-suffering sigh, he said, "Max, unless you're planning to follow me in, you're gonna have to free my hands."

Her eyes dropped to his hands before they widened in understanding.

Then he smirked. "I won't object too much if you decide to help me, hands on, of course." He watched with amusement as a blush crept up her slender neck to her cheeks as she gaped wordlessly at him.

Finally finding her voice, she snapped, "You wish!"

"So let me go."

Her eyes flashing in annoyance, she went behind him. After a moment, the ropes fell off his wrists.

Without a further word, he dashed into the washroom, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Max leaned against the wall and exhaled loudly. That must have been the most embarrassing moment she could remember experiencing in recent days.

What did Zack think he was doing, not letting Alec go before she was called in for guard duty? If Alec decided to escape now, what was she going to do? So far, from their track record, all she could say was that there were equal in skills. So it could go either way.

The sound of boots hitting the corridor around the corner alerted her to a newcomer. She frowned. It was too soon for the next shift, so who could it be? Then she heard the sound of a door opening.

"Hey!" she called out.

"Max?" Jack's surprised voice reached her.

The footsteps sped up and became louder until she saw Jack coming around the corner, a worried frown marring his forehead.

"You're okay," Jack sighed in relief. Then he looked around her. "Alec?"

She pointed her thumb to the washroom. "In there. I can't believe Zack left him so many hours like that."

"Oh."

"What are you doing here, Jack? Isn't it a little early to be taking over from me now?" she asked, wondering about his presence.

"You need to get back to Command Centre. They need you there," he told her in a low voice.

They needed her? For what? Packing? Surely they could deal with that without her. Why was she protesting anyway if it meant that she got to spend less time with Alec?

"Max?"

"Why do they need me there?"

Jack glanced pointedly at the door to the washroom. "You need to ask them when you see them."

Right then, the door opened and Alec stepped out. Max took an involuntary step back, watching him warily.

Holding his hands out in a gesture of surrender, Alec said, "I'm not going anywhere except back to the room."

She kept her eyes on him as she bent down to retrieve the ropes.

His eyes went to her hands. "There's no need for that," he said before turning around and calmly walking away from her.

Her eyes widened. "Hey!" And she chased after him with Jack cursing behind her.

But before they could reach him, Alec stopped in front of his room and pushed the door open, letting himself in. Max and Jack skidded to a stop and exchanged an uncertain glance with each other.

Jack pointed to the closed door. "He let himself back in," he stated incredulously.

Max gave the door a sceptical look, recalling what Alec had said to her earlier about escaping Manticore. If he was really escaping Manticore, then his action was understandable.

"What's with the guy?" Jack questioned more to himself than to her.

She sighed wearily. "I don't know. Just make sure he doesn't escape, and don't let him talk you into anything you won't normally do."

Jack's brow shot up. "What do you mean?"

Not in the mood to go into it, she just said, "Nevermind." Then she continued, "I'll head back to Command Centre now. I'll tell Zane to relieve you in six hours."

At Jack's nod, she left him and went back to the Command Centre.

* * *

She could not believe they were going to do this, Max thought as she paced the length of the living room of the apartment she shared with Zane and Eva. Behind her, she could hear the low voices belonging to the others. They were hidden in the bedrooms.

It was a little drastic, even for her. But she guessed that they did not have much of a choice. Zane and Eva had not been able to gather much concrete information on Seth's secrets, but they had seen enough to be suspicious that something was not right.

Which had somehow led to this crazy plan.

She inhaled sharply when a knock sounded on the door. All movements and sounds in the other rooms stopped abruptly, leaving the apartment eerily silent. Her footsteps sounded unnaturally loud as she made her way to the door.

Opening it, she came face to face with Seth.

"You wanted to see me?" Seth asked as he stepped in.

She nodded, suddenly feeling bad about deceiving Seth like this. But he had been deceiving them all this time, so she guessed in a weird way it was fair.

He sighed as he looked at her. Then to her surprise, he bent down gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Seth…" she started uncomfortably, unsure what to say. Their last encounter in Alec's room had been tense, so she was not expecting him to be like this.

He ran his hand over his cropped hair. "Look, Max. I know things have been…difficult…between us lately."

She closed her eyes briefly. "Tell me about it."

"I remember what you said to me outside Ivanov's place," he said quietly. Then he added, "Did you really mean it, or did you say it because you were angry?"

Max realised that he was referring to the day when she had told him it was over between them. Keeping in mind that the rest was within hearing distance, she said softly, "It's just not working out, Seth. I don't know how we can carry on."

He reached out and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry you feel that way," he whispered into her hair.

Her eyes stung. "Seth… Stop." She did not want him to say too much. Not when there were so many curious ears nearby. They needed to talk one day. Really talk. But not like this.

He pulled away slowly and glanced down at her. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him guiltily. "I'm sorry too, Seth," she said as she tapped her foot loudly against the timber board floor.

She watched his eyes widen in shock as Zack, Zane, Eva and Tinga rushed out of the rooms to surround them.

Seth's entire body tensed as he glanced warily around him. "What's going on here?" he asked tightly.

Zack spoke first. "You need to answer some questions."

"What?" Seth gritted out. Then he swung around to Max. "You set me up for this?"

Max gave him a pleading look. "We need to have some answers, Seth. And this place is secure."

Eva added. "We didn't want to do this, but you left us with no choice."

Seth's eyes flashed angrily. "Choice? What about me? When did I ever have a choice?"

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: That's all for now. Please review and let me know what you think. I need the encouragement for the last lap…a couple more chapters to the end of the story, I think! Yay!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N:- I'm not going to whinge about ffnet's alerts. I'm not! Grrr… Fortunately, I finally got all your reviews. Thank you so much!

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 20**

(by elle6778)

Leaning against the headboard with his arms linked behind his head, Alec snuck a quick glance to his left at the other transgenic. Jack was his name if he recalled correctly. The guy was sitting on the old couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs. The laptop that he had been using earlier was left unused beside him.

Jack was still looking at him with that weird expression on his face. What was his problem? Alec was beginning to feel like a bug under inspection. What was so interesting about him that Jack had to stare at him that way?

And the silence was beginning to unnerve him.

Plastering a nonchalant expression on his face, Alec swung his legs over the side of the bed and positioned himself to face Jack. "What?" he asked flatly.

Seemingly snapping out of his thoughts, Jack straightened a little. "What do you mean?" His voice was mild.

Alec raised an eyebrow. "You're staring. Do I have dirt or something on my face? If that's the case, you'd better tell me before that pretty hellcat returns," he finished with a smirk.

The corner of Jack's lips twitched. "Hellcat? You're referring to Max, I take it?"

"You didn't answer my question."

Jack relaxed back on the couch. "It's nothing."

He was too casual about it, Alec thought suspiciously. Crossing his arms over his chest, Alec went on, "Oh, come on. This is getting old. None of you would tell me anything. And you know what? It's getting to be really boring in here."

Jack smiled. "You should have thought about that before you decided to come here."

Alec sighed. "Okay, maybe it's not so bad here."

Wordlessly Jack tapped his thighs, watching Alec thoughtfully. Alec waited and waited, but Jack just continued to stare. It was unnerving.

Reaching the end of his patience, Alec finally snapped irritably, "Can you drop the staring already?!"

Jack's fingers stilled, and then his lips twitched again. "I can't help it."

"What? It can't be that difficult to get a grip on your eyes." Alec's voice was incredulous.

"He would have looked like you," Jack said quietly.

Alec frowned in confusion. "Who?"

"Ben."

His confusion deepening, Alec prompted carefully, "Ben?"

Jack nodded.

Alec groaned. This was going to be harder than he thought. The guy was definitely the quiet type. If Alec had not experienced fighting with him, he would have even thought that the guy was meek. But no, this guy was far from meek.

Just reticent, it seemed.

"Can you say more than one sentence at a time?" Alec asked sarcastically.

Jack looked at him for a second. "Yes."

Suppressing the urge to pound the wall in frustration, Alec stood up and paced the length of the room. The place was beginning to suffocate him. Perhaps gaining their trust this way was not such a good idea after all. He was definitely not going to get anywhere if he could not even get a conversation going.

Standing in front of the boarded-up window, Alec peeked out through a narrow gap between the boards. There was not much to see. Just another rundown building on the opposite side.

"Ben's one of us," Jack suddenly said.

Surprised, Alec swivelled around to find Jack standing right behind him. Damn, the man was as stealthy as a cat. "What?"

"I was just trying to see Ben in your body," Jack went on.

Alec's jaw dropped. What the hell was the guy going on about? "What?! Why do you need to imagine him in MY body? That's just… weird."

"Because he didn't make it," Jack added, staring into space.

Alec's brow furrowed. "Didn't make what?" He was beginning to think that there was something seriously wrong with this guy.

Shaking his head, Jack looked at him in the eye. "That's all I can tell you."

Alec smacked a hand against his forehead and groaned. "You told me nothing."

Jack suddenly grinned. "But that doesn't mean you can't ask Max."

Alec gaped at him.

Was the guy actually on his side?

* * *

Her eyes followed Seth around as he paced the room like a caged tiger. His face was suffused with barely suppressed anger at their trickery. Uncomfortable, she looked away, feeling guilty for being a part of the deceit.

"Come on, Seth. Don't make this difficult on yourself," Eva implored softly.

Seth rounded on her. "Difficult?" He snorted resentfully. "It's not _me_ who's making things difficult here."

Zane interjected firmly, "You're the one with things to hide."

Seth voice was cold. "No. You _think_ that I've something to hide." Then, in a flash, he suddenly blurred to the window.

Max's eyes widened. "NO!" she exclaimed as she rushed forward to stop him. But before she could reach him, Zack and Zane tackled him to the ground.

Seth fell down with a heavy thud.

"Let me go, damn it! This is going too far," Seth snarled angrily, struggling against the other two transgenics.

Concerned, Max crouched down beside him. "Seth, please. We just want to know."

He stopped struggling to stare up at her, his expression unreadable. "How could you, Max?" he asked quietly. "You knew, but you went along with it. I thought you trust me more than this."

The accusation hit her hard, and she flinched. "I'm sorry."

His expression hardened. "Sorry just isn't going to cut it." Turning his attention to Zack, Seth said coldly, "Let me up."

Max could see the hesitation in Zack's eyes before he warned, "Don't run."

A bitter smile graced Seth's lips. "What's the point?"

Zack and Zane released him cautiously. Seth stood up and took a couple of steps back. It was as if he could not bear to be near them, Max thought, distressed at the entire situation. But at least now they would know what was going on with him.

"So?" Tinga prompted.

"I'm not running." Seth paused for a beat, and then his expression become stony. "But I got nothing to tell you."

He leaned back against the wall, his entire body tensed as if he expected an attack.

A bubble of annoyance began to grow in Max, pushing through the guilt she was feeling. Why was Seth being so stubborn? Couldn't he see that they were just concerned? Wasn't it about time he came clean with them?

Around her, the rest of her siblings wore similar stunned looks.

Eva was the first to speak. "What do you hope to gain by keeping secrets from us, Seth?" she asked coolly.

Seth did not reply.

Gritting her teeth, Max stepped close to him. "Just tell us. What's so hard about it?"

His shoulders set in a tense line, he bit out, "I'm not going to cave just because all of you ganged up on me."

Max's eyes flashed angrily. "How long can you keep this from us, huh?"

Turning, Seth tried to step around her.

Not in the mood to entertain any more of his evasiveness, Max grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Max…" he warned.

"Don't 'Max' me!" she snapped in annoyance.

He stared down at her, his expression bland. "You're wasting you time. How long can you keep me here? In the end, I'm just going to walk out."

Irritated beyond belief, she hit him in the chest and pinned him to the wall. "No! You're not going to walk away from this again."

With a twist of his arms, he reversed their position. Holding her to the wall, he leaned close and hissed angrily, "No. I'm asking you to leave it."

Zane placed a warning hand on Seth's shoulders. "Hey, chill, man."

Eyes flashing, Max shoved Seth away from her. "What happened to you, Seth? You've changed so much that all of us could barely recognise you."

"I just did that I had to," he defended, his eyes falling on the rest of them. "For _all_ of us!"

"So just tell us what is it you're hiding."

"I said, drop it," he gritted out in a tight voice, his hands fisted by his side. He looked like he was about to lose it.

Max laid her hands on her hips. Common sense told her that she should back off. That she should leave it instead of antagonising him further.

But common sense had never been her strong point.

Tilting her chin up resolutely, she stood her ground. "I just want an explanation, Seth. The whole deal is getting out of hand. Your _lies_ are getting out of hand."

His fist hit the wall with a dull thud, leaving a dent in the plaster. "You don't know what you're asking from me, Max," he snarled.

"It's not just her. The rest of us would like to know as well," Eva interjected quietly.

Knowing that he was cornered, his eyes blazed with fury. "You all want to know what I did? Every single ugly detail?" he challenged heatedly.

Swallowing hard, Max nodded.

Tinga gave him a worried look. "It can't be that bad, Seth."

Seth snorted derisively. "All of you haven't seen how ugly it can get."

Frowning in irritation, Max asked, "What do you mean? You make it sound like we're all clueless babies or something."

"You have no idea how true that is."

Zack sighed in exasperation. "What happened, Seth?"

Stalking to the end of the room, Seth leaned against the wall and exhaled loudly.

Then he looked at Zack. "Do you remember that mission we went on? The Tillett mission?"

Frowning slightly, Zack replied, "The Manticore technician? The one where we had to pull him out because he thinks that someone was onto him."

"Yeah. That one. After you left with Tillett, I went back to get the file he had forgotten."

"That was like a year ago or something like that, wasn't it?" Zane spoke up, frowning as he tried to remember.

"Well, I went back. Tillett's intel was accurate. Someone was after him. I just didn't realise that someone was there until it was too late."

"From Manticore?"

Seth nodded.

"Who?"

Seth inhaled loudly. "It was 354, my twin." His lips twisted as the rest of them gasped in shock. "I was stumped. For a second, I thought I was seeing things. Then all I could think of was that _they_ will find out. Manticore will find out about us."

"What did you do?" Max was almost afraid to ask.

"354 was just as shocked. He was sent there to retrieve Tillett. We had words. He was…not like us. Then we fought. He pinned me down and told me that since he could not find Tillett, he was taking me back with him. For further analysis, he told me," Seth told them, the disgust in his voice clear.

Taking a deep breath, he went on. "I threw him off. But I knew that I could not let him go. He would just run back to Manticore and report the incident."

"No…" Max whispered as comprehension dawned. "You didn't…" She could not say it.

Their eyes met. Green and brown. Both just as stricken. "He was… I…" Seth faltered uncharacteristically.

"You killed him," Zane stated flatly, his voice bearing no recrimination.

A short pause followed before Seth nodded curtly. "I had to. There was no other way." Then he exclaimed in a harsher tone. "It's either him or us!"

The silence which followed was thick.

"I buried him in the garden," he continued quietly. "But before I could leave, his reinforcements arrived."

Max's eyes widened in understanding. "You pretended to be him. You took his place."

Seth nodded. "It was the only thing I could do at that time. There were three of them, all X5s and they had one other technician with them. The odds were in their favour. So I went with them." His voice was clipped.

"I'm surprised that Manticore didn't catch on," Tinga remarked softly.

Seth shook his head. "They wouldn't unless they ran genetic tests. And by the time they ran those regular checks, I already replaced 354's profile with mine."

"One year on and you're still there," Zack stated uneasily.

Seth closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were clouded with regret. "I don't think I can just walk out without raising an alarm. Manticore keeps a tight rein on their transgenics. That is why I don't want Alec near us. Having him around puts us at risk. Manticore might come sniffing around here."

Baffled, Max asked, "Why would they come looking for him if they were the ones who sent him in the first place?"

Seth went silent for a moment before he said quietly. "They didn't."

Max gaped. If what Seth had just said was true, then Alec was telling the truth all this time.

Zane frowned. "Hold on. Let me get this right. Manticore did not send Alec?"

Shaking his head, Seth confirmed, "No. I checked."

Eva looked sceptical. "When?"

Seth grimaced. "When the two of you lost me earlier."

Max exchanged a surprised look with Zane. So that was why Eva and Zane did not get far. A small smile tilted her lips. They should have sent someone stealthier, like Jack.

"What did you find out?" Zack asked.

"Just that Alec did not return with his partner after their mission. They'll start looking for him soon," Seth said, pressing a hand to his temple.

"I think we're more concerned about you right now," Eva said dryly.

Max glanced at Seth, noting how tense he was. This was difficult for him. And now that her anger had abated, her feeling of remorse returned. Having so many of them around, throwing questions after questions at him was not helping.

"Guys, I think Seth and I need some time alone," she told them.

Zane looked indignant. "Hey, I live here."

"We need to sort of some stuff," Max explained, glaring at Zane.

"Hey-" Zane began, but he was cut short by a warning look from Zack.

"And we got to head back to HQ to relieve Jack," Zack pointed out. "Manticore or not, having him around is still a risk."

Tinga sighed as she walked to the door. "We need to figure out what to do with him. Seth is right, even if Alec wasn't sent by Manticore, they'll be searching for him."

"We'll talk about it later," Eva said. Then turning to Seth, she placed a hand on his arm. "And we'll sort this mess out somehow."

Then they left.

Alone with Seth, Max suddenly felt awkward. Now that he had told them what happened, it was not difficult to understand why Seth behaved the way he did. It made her feel bad about doubting him. It made her feel bad that he felt that he had to hide all of it from them. Whether the two of them were together or not, they were still a family and he should not have to go through that by himself.

She looked up to find him staring at her.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I lied to you," she started uncomfortably, and then continued, "But I'm not sorry that you told us what happened."

He turned away from her. Staring unseeingly at an imaginary point in front of him, Seth said quietly, "To be honest, right now, all I feel is relief."

"Relief?"

"Because I don't need to watch every word I say around all of you," he elaborated.

Her heart twisted at his lost expression. Scooting closer, she hugged him from the side. "You shouldn't have kept this from us in the first place. Why did you?"

His voice was strained. "I had to. Because I was ordered to…to…" He trailed off into silence.

She looked up at him, her anxiety growing. Was there something else that he had omitted to tell them? "What?" she asked.

He took a deep breath. "354 was an assassin," he finally admitted.

An assassin.

Max's eyes widened in comprehension. Seth's reluctance to say anything became clear. He feared their condemnation. He was afraid that he would lose them. But whatever he did, they would not abandon him.

"You didn't have a choice," she told him softly, wanting him to know how she felt.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "So it's okay to kill when we don't have a choice? The way I killed 354? My own twin?" He let out a harsh bark of laughter. "It's like watching myself die."

She did not know what to say to make it better. She could not even begin to imagine what Seth had gone through. Manticore had been bad when they got out, and they were only kids at that time. It must be worse to go through all of that as an adult. Especially one who had been living in the real world for so many years.

They had to do something about it.

Max took a deep breath. "There must be some way to get you out of this."

"I wish there was. If I run, they'll just come running after me," he paused, and then added, "The way they will come running after Alec."

Max shut her eyes. She had not slept for a few days, and with recent events, her body was protesting against the lack of rest. Not a good time to think about Alec now. Alec had a way of messing with her mind. And now, with everything that was happening on the Seth front, she had enough to deal with.

"Do you like him?" Seth suddenly asked.

Her eyes snapped open and she stared at him in shock. "What?" Her voice came out weaker than she had intended.

Seth averted his gaze. "I think you do."

Still in shock, Max did not reply. Where did Seth get the idea? Come to think of it, where did Zane get the idea? Or was it so obvious that everyone could see it except her?

"Is this why…" Seth paused, gesturing in the small space between them. He took a deep breath and continued, "Is he the reason why things between us had come to this?"

Her eyes widened. "NO!" she denied heatedly. Then, forcing her voice down to some resemblance of normalcy, she continued, "No. Things were already strained between us. Didn't you notice?"

He gave her a self-deprecating smile. "No. Not until recently, anyway. I guess I was too busy leading a double life to pay you the attention you deserve."

"Seth…" Her voice was soft.

He held up a hand. "It's okay. Really. I'll get over it."

"But-"

"And anyway, your interest lies somewhere else now."

"I don't know, Seth," she muttered, frowning in confusion.

"You do realise what his role in Manticore is, don't you?"

Cautiously, Max ventured, "No. What? A spy?"

Seth shook his head silently.

"What, Seth?" she pressed.

"He's an assassin."

* * *

They were guarding him in six hours shifts, Alec noted absently as Zack looked at his watch. If he had it right, his next guard would be Max. It had been twenty-four hours since he had last seen her.

As if on cue, the door opened and Max stepped in.

Alec raised an eyebrow when he noted how tired she looked. She looked strained. Apparently, Zack noticed too. A worried frown graced the blonde transgenic's brow when he stood up.

"Are you okay?" Zack asked.

Max nodded. "Just finished the…" she paused to flick a glance at Alec, and then gestured in the air. "You know."

"We're all set then?"

"Almost there," Max replied cryptically.

Almost where? Alec looked back and forth between them. "Hey, care to fill me in?"

Without even glancing at him, both of them said in unison, "No."

Alec sighed. "I thought you already know I'm not here on Manticore's orders." Apparently it was not _that_ easy to get them to trust him.

"It's complicated. And we still don't know what to do with you," Zack replied.

Alec smirked. "Recruit me?" he suggested innocently.

Max gave him a disbelieving look, but Zack just stared at him thoughtfully. Alec brightened inwardly. Perhaps he had a chance after all.

"You've got to be kidding," Max muttered.

Shrugging, Alec continued lightly, "Your choice. Or do you need an experience report?"

Max rolled her eyes. "Spare me the crap."

But her voice lacked its usual bite. Alec gave her a worried look, wondering what was eating her. He would have to wait until Zack left before he asked her. She seemed to be a little less guarded when they were alone.

"Hey, since I'm not on Manticore's side, don't you think it's time to stop with the guard thing?" he suggested.

Zack rubbed his eyes wearily. "No. You're still a security threat." Stifling a yawn, he said to Max, "I'll leave you to it then. Need to catch some sleep."

Both of them watched as Zack walked out of the door. When the door slammed shut behind the blonde transgenic, Alec turned to Max.

"So," he began cautiously. "What's up with you?"

Max barely glanced at him. "Nothing," she replied dully, slumping down on the couch. She shut her eyes with a heavy sigh.

He stared at her. Seeing Max so washed out and weary did something funny to him. He was so used to seeing her blazing with energy, with fire, that right now it just did not seem right. And those sparks in her eyes were not present. Something was definitely wrong.

Alec grinned as an idea occurred to him. Standing up, he walked towards the couch. "I think I know what the problem is."

She cracked open an eye, but did not move away from him. "What?" she asked disinterestedly.

Leaning down closer to her, he whispered, "You missed me."

Alec swallowed the urge to laugh as her eyes snapped opened instantly. And then those sparks returned. _Jackpot_, he thought, satisfied at her reaction.

"Don't you have anything better to do than to come up with these inane comments?" she snapped irritably.

Smirking, Alec sat beside her on the couch. "But you didn't deny that you missed me."

She snorted. "Now why would I do something as stupid as that? Why should I miss you?"

"Because you just can't help yourself," he replied cockily.

Groaning, she buried her face in her hands. "I shouldn't have asked."

"They say the truth hurts."

She glared at him wordlessly. Shifting on the couch, she suddenly winced. "Ouch!"

"What?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out something.

Alec's eyes widened as she held out the familiar voice recorder to him.

"Who's the girl? The one with the piano?"

He took it from her wordlessly. She had obviously listened to it. He did not know how he felt about it. The recording on Rachel was innocent enough, but it was obvious that she was not a transgenic. The other recording would have told Max that all he wanted was to find out the truth.

"Alec?"

Startled, he lifted his eyes to hers. "Huh?"

"The girl," she prompted impatiently, pointing at the device in his hand.

Alec hesitated, trying to decide whether he should tell her. Something told him that it was better that he did. And anyway, secrets always had a way of coming back at the most unwanted times. It was better that he dealt with it now.

"She's the daughter of one of my targets."

"Targets," Max echoed numbly.

Alec steeled himself. Who knew what her reaction would be when she found out what was his role in Manticore? "Yeah. Target." He paused, and then quickly continued before he lost his nerve. "I specialise in assassination."

Silence descended.

"I know," she finally said.

His eyes widened in surprise. "You know?"

"Seth told me."

"Right," he said slowly.

Her non-reaction puzzled him. For some reason, he had her down as someone who would blast him apart for killing people. Even if he was ordered to do it. But he guessed he was wrong. He supposed that since she was a transgenic, she must have been exposed to quite a lot of it at some point.

But she looked uneasy when she asked, "What happened to your…uh…target."

Alec tensed. Evading her gaze, he replied flatly, "Eliminated."

She sucked in a sharp breath. The sparks in her eyes intensified.

"Don't you feel anything at all? How could you say it just like it's a normal thing to do?" she asked, sounding perplexed. "So, I guess after the 'elimination' you just went back to Manticore and wait for the next order to kill?" she bit out in disgust.

Alec swallowed. So his initial assessment had been correct after all.

Exhaling loudly, she sagged into the couch, her agitation seeping out of her visibly. "I suppose you don't really have a choice."

Something else escaped from her lips but it was too faint for him to catch. He thought it sounded something like; _a bit like Seth._ "What did you say?" he prodded.

She shook her head at him. "Nothing."

They sat in silence for a moment before he finally said, "She shouldn't have been there."

Max looked up at him questioningly.

"I couldn't retract in time. The bullet caught her. Killed her instantly," Alec explained numbly.

Her eyes softened. "You cared for her, didn't you?"

"She was innocent."

"It was an accident, right?"

Was it? Was it an accident? "Yeah," he finally admitted. "I didn't go back to Manticore after that."

Max frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Something clicked, I guess. It all seemed wrong." He paused. "And I wanted out."

"You ran off?" she asked incredulously.

Alec nodded. And then a bitter smile twisted his lips. "But they caught me and sent me back to reindoctrination." He pointed to the tape recorder. "That was how I remembered what happened."

He shrugged. "So here I am," he finished lightly.

Max stared at him thoughtfully. "You were not kidding about joining us, were you?"

Alec grinned. "You've kept off Manticore's radar for so long that I thought it might be a good idea."

"It's not going to be the same with you," Max said evasively.

"Why?"

Max sighed. "You know I can't tell you."

"Fine. Tell me something else then."

"I've got nothing to tell."

"Tell me about Ben."

Her eyes flew up to his in shock. "Who told you about Ben?"

Alec shrugged casually. Inwardly, he realised by her reaction that this was a sensitive issue. "You're close?" he asked softly.

She stared at him wordlessly, and then he saw her eyes clouding over. _Uh oh_, he thought with apprehension.

Without a word, she looked away from him, as if she could not bear to look at him. It was almost as strange as having Jack stare at him. But it kind of confirmed the suspicion he had after he had thought about it. There were not only four of them out there; there were at the very least five of them who had switched sides.

"Ben and I are twins. That's it, isn't it?" he asked quietly, placing a hand on her shoulders.

She stiffened.

He shuffled closer, but she did not move away. Her citrus and flowers scent surrounded him. "You can tell me, you know." He tugged her slowly until he could see her face. To his horror, there were tears running down her cheeks.

_Alec, you idiot,_ he scolded himself.

"Hey," he soothed softly, wrapping both his arms around her. "Look, don't answer if you don't want to."

She sniffed, a sound which wrenched his heart. And then to his surprise, she leaned against him. Rubbing her back gently, he murmured, "It's okay, Max."

She remained so silent and so still that he thought she had fallen asleep in his arms.

When she spoke, her voice was far away. "We were running, and Ben turned back. He wanted to collect something from the dorm. A card." Her lips twisted. "The whole place was already in chaos, and he got caught in the crossfire. He died because of a card."

Her voice caught.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Pulling her closer, he pressed his lips on the top of her head and slowly rocked back and forth until her sobs receded.

* * *

Alec was having the best sleep he had ever experienced in his entire life. A comfortable warmth was pressed against his chest and his hands were in contact with something silky and smooth. He felt safe, secure and he did not want to move an inch if he could help it.

The scent of citrus and flowers permeated his senses. Max, he thought at the back of his mind as he snuggled closer against the soft body in his arms. The feline in him demanded that he stayed right there.

The only thing which marred his languid comfort was the feel of something cold and hard against the back of his neck.

Mind still fuzzy with sleep, he struggled to process the information. _Cold and hard?_

And then it dawned on him.

His eyes opened instantly. A feeling of dread began in the pit of his stomach and crawled up his spine. The cold, hard object shifted a little, but remained in contact with his skin as he slowly turned around.

Then he froze.

Seth was holding a semi-automatic against his neck. The green-eyed transgenic's expression was frosty.

Alec gulped.

He was a dead man.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: I know, I know…Alec seems to be perpetually in trouble, lol! Good news is, well, for me anyway, is that the next chapter is the final chapter. (:grins:) I hope to get reviews from you guys, and if anything is still unclear to you, this is the last chance for me to clarify it in the story.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N:- Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter. Okay…I know you all are probably cursing at me for taking so long with this. I was having problems concentrating on this story, but I finally managed to squeeze something out. This is the final chapter of Irresistible Rivals. I hope that you will enjoy it!

* * *

**Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 21**

(by elle6778)

Alec gulped.

"Hey, man…" he started nervously.

Seth stared at him unblinkingly.

Alec kept his eyes pinned on the knife, but he felt Max shifting awake next to him. His entire body was coiled as tight as a spring. This was not exactly what he had hoped to wake up to. He had been anticipating teasing Max, and maybe persuading her into admitting that she felt something for him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Seth hissed, pressing the knife closer against Alec's neck.

"Uh…It's not what you think," Alec quickly said, and then wondered why he bothered justifying himself to someone who had no business butting into his sleeping habits. Even if his sleeping habit involved an ex-girlfriend.

"So what is it, soldier?" Seth barked.

Awake at last, Max sat up. A quick glance out of the corner of his eyes told Alec that she was just as stunned as he was. "What are you doing, Seth? Drop the gun!" she snapped.

Seth's gaze landed on Max. "Slept well, Max?"

"Seth…" her voice came out as a warning. "You're overreacting."

Seth shrugged, but much to Alec's chagrin, he did not lower the gun. "Maybe."

Max bristled. "What do you mean, maybe? You're holding a gun, Seth!"

Alec watched as the corner of Seth's lips twitched before he lowered the gun. Standing there with the gun propped over one shoulder, Seth just smirked at them.

Alec's eyes widened in open disbelief, and then they instantly narrowed in comprehension. Seth played them. A growl of irritation threatened to escape his lips. For a moment, he considered beating Seth to an inch of his life, but decided that that was definitely not the way to gain Max's trust.

He settled for a glaring at Seth coldly instead.

Seth raised an eyebrow. "You have something to say, Alec?"

"That's not funny, Seth," Max interjected grumpily.

Seth raised an eyebrow. "Oh? My mistake then."

Alec gaped at him. Was this the same Seth or was this the nice alter-ego? A quick glance out of the corner of his eyes told him that Max seemed to be thinking the same thing as well.

The look on her face was nothing short of suspicious. "Seth, are you…um… okay?" she asked carefully.

Seth shrugged, and then stood up. Without answering her question, he said, "I came to tell you that we're all set."

Alec frowned. All set? For what?

He saw Max giving Seth a questioning look before she said, "Hang on. I'll walk you out."

Then she tossed a stern look in his direction. "Don't go anywhere."

Widening his eyes innocently, Alec retorted, "Who, me? Where would I go?"

Max rolled her eyes and followed Seth out.

After the door had shut behind the two, Alec waited for a few seconds before he bounced to his feet. Pressing his ear against the door, he detected no sounds of footsteps. Smirking, he opened the door and sneaked out soundlessly.

* * *

A silent Seth led her along the dimly lit corridor until they reached a room. Once there, he gestured for her to enter, pushing the door shut behind them.

Max sneaked a peek at Seth out of the corner of her eyes. Seth seemed different, almost relaxed, in fact. It was strange to see him this way after so long. He reminded her of how he had been years ago when they were still teenagers.

The talk must have done him good, Max mused. He no longer has to carry the burden of the secret on his own shoulders. Now, the rest could help. Somehow. She frowned. But how?

She saw the corner of his lips tilt, as if he was thinking of something particularly amusing.

"What?" she asked curiously.

He broke out into a rare grin, making her melt, reminding her of why she had found him attractive in the first place. A part of her mourned that what they had was over, but she had to admit that her attention was now somewhere else.

"Alec's face," Seth said in reply to her question. "It was priceless." Then he laughed.

Max's lips twitched. "That was just mean, Seth."

"Well, he DID steal my girl." Although he sounded a little indignant, she did not detect any real anger or malice in his voice.

"It's not like that, Seth," she muttered uncomfortably.

"Oh? You seem comfortable enough all snuggled in his arms," he pointed out, and this time, she could hear a slight tinge of resentment in his tone.

Feeling a little guilty, she averted her gaze. It had seemed so right last night. She did not remember feeling so safe, and so warm. Alec was gentle and understanding, something which she did not expect, but nevertheless, welcomed.

They did not have a chance to react to the sudden development of their odd relationship before Seth appeared. Now that she had thought about it, she just could imagine the teasing she was going to be subjected to. Especially from Alec. No doubt the cocky transgenic would never let her forget that she had fallen asleep on her watch.

Not that he seemed to mind when it had happened. His arms were curled tightly around her like he did not want to let go. A small smile crossed her lips. Almost possessive, in fact.

Yes, she was comfortable enough snuggled in Alec's arms. But she guessed Seth could not help but feel slightly rejected, considering that they relationship had only dissolved recently.

Max rolled her eyes. _Men._ "So what is happening? We're moving out?" she asked, changing the subject.

Seth nodded. "Mack is dealing with the logistics at the moment. Most of the stuffs are on the way to Terminal City. Some of the Ordinaries are cleaning up, basically trying to erase our presence."

"What about Alec?" she ventured cautiously. Were they planning to continue with their original plan of abandoning him somewhere? But considering the latest developments, she was not sure if she would agree to the plan. And she wondered how the rest would take it when she told them so.

"Good question."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"We've been talking about it. And we don't think it's a good idea to just dump him somewhere, however far it is from here. Especially not when Manticore is after him."

Max closed her eyes in relief at his words. "Manticore's always going to be after him, however far he runs."

The corner of Seth's lips lifted. "Zack thinks he should join us."

Max's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Seth nodded. "Lydecker also thinks it's a good idea."

Maybe Lydecker could help. After all, he was the one with all the Manticore contacts, Max thought. "But we need to find a way to make sure Manticore doesn't find out where he is, otherwise, all of us will be exposed."

"Jack already worked something out."

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"He'll tell you when you bring Alec along to the Command Centre after this."

Max hesitated for a second, and then nodded. "I'll go back to get him."

"I don't think that's necessary," Seth said meaningfully.

Confused, she just stared at him.

Nudging towards the door, Seth said, "Alec's right behind that door."

As if on cue, the door swung open, revealing a smirking Alec.

Max stared incredulously as he strolled up to them like he had every right to be there. Like he had every right to be eavesdropping on their conversation, because she knew that that was exactly what he had been doing.

"Spying, Alec?" she asked dryly.

Alec raised a brow. "Hey, what you're discussing affects my wellbeing. Can you blame me for being interested?"

"What made you think we're talking about you?"

"Because you can't keep me out of your mind for long," he replied, deadpanned.

She reddened. "Why, you…"

He grinned, draping a casual arm around her shoulders. "Aw, come on, Max. After last night, you don't need to be shy around me."

She glowered at him. And then she turned her attention to an amused Seth. "What's so funny?"

Seth sobered up. "Nothing."

Alec brightened. "So, I guess I don't need to stay in that room anymore, huh?"

Seth gestured at Alec. "You need to get him to the Command Centre."

"Now?"

"We're running out of time," Seth said as he began to walk away.

"Where are you going, Seth?" she asked. Surely he was not going to just leave her there to deal with Alec.

"I need to go check on something."

Max expelled a resigned sigh. When Seth took that tone, she knew that he would not tell her anything no matter how much she prodded him. So, she just stood there, watching him leave.

To her surprise, Seth paused and then turned to look over his shoulders. "Max? When he drives you up the wall, you can take your complaint to Zack, because he's the one who gave the nod for Alec to join us."

Max groaned.

* * *

After being confined for so long in the dimly lit room, Alec blinked against the glare of the bright sunlight as he took the first step out of the building. They were in a run down area, where most of the buildings seemed abandoned. There were a few stragglers around, but otherwise, they had the place to themselves.

Seth had taken off soon after he had joined them, and now, he was left trailing behind a silent Max who seemed to be bent on losing him. At least, that was the impression she gave, considering the speed at which she was walking ahead of him.

"Hey, Max!" he called out.

Her entire body went rigid, but she continued to walk without turning around.

After the comfortable time they had spent together the night before, her attitude baffled him. Rolling his eyes, he dashed forward and grabbed her by the arm. "What's the problem?"

She finally stopped and turned around. "Who said there's a problem?"

"You're running off. Like you're trying to get rid of me."

Right before his eyes, she seemed to relax. "What? Can't keep up, Alec? You're gonna have to do better than that if you're joining us," she taunted.

He looked at her suspiciously, wondering what had caused the sudden turnaround in her behaviour. "Um…Max?"

"Yeah?"

"A second ago, you were ignoring me. And now you're back to being yourself. What's going on?"

She quickly turned away, further cementing his suspicions. "It's your imagination," she muttered.

"Aww, come on, Max. You can tell me," he cajoled. "Surely after sleeping together, you trust me a little more than this."

She immediately swivelled around to face him. "We did not sleep together!"

Noticing her heightened colour, he grinned. "Funny. It sure felt like it to me. You stomach under my hands, your head on my chest, your little cute snores…"

He eyes flashed. "I do not snore."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Sorry, it must have been someone else then."

She glowered at him and began to walk away again.

Catching up, he slung an arm around her rigid shoulders, fully expecting to be told off. To his surprise, she did not push him away. Instead, she continued walking.

Alec grinned. With his charms, who could resist, anyway?

* * *

The second they entered the almost bare Command Centre, everyone halted what they were doing and looked up. Max glanced up sideways at Alec. He was returning their curious looks, but without any expression on his face.

She quickly nudged him, breaking the spell.

"Alec's joining us," she told them. "Say hi, Alec."

Rolling his eyes at her, Alec directed them into the room, his arm still clamped tightly around her shoulders. If she had not known better, she would have thought that he was nervous and therefore wanted her as an anchor.

"I guess you all already know who I am," he said casually.

"Your reputation precedes you," Zane said with a grin.

Then Max saw Zane's eyes travel from Alec's face to his arm around her shoulders, his eyebrows gradually rising.

"I have to say that I'm quite surprised at THAT, though," Zane added cheekily. "I'm surprised that your arm's still stuck to your body."

"Quit teasing them, Zane," Eva admonished as she sealed the last box in front of her. "And get these last boxes out.

Zane grumbled under his breath. "Is this how you treat a genetically enhanced supersoldier?"

Laden with boxes himself, Zack narrowed his eyes. "We're hardly soldiers anymore, Zane. Now, the boxes, if you don't' mind."

Eva stepped up to them, giving Alec an assessing look. "I need you to come with me."

Max felt the arm around he shoulders tighten. Alec's tone was even, but she could tell that he was a little wary of Eva's request. "What for?"

Eva levelled a pointed look at him. "If you want us to trust you, you're going to have to do the same for us."

Alec recoiled, looking a little embarrassed. Max grinned, knowing fully well how Eva could make someone feel small when she put her mind to it. Her gentle appearance could be deceiving.

However, Max was also curious about it. "Eva? What are you going to do to him?"

"We need to process him."

Max gaped. "Process him?" Since when did Unitech start processing anyone?

Alec rubbed the back of his neck, clearly discomfited. "Say, this is not like one of Manticore's Psy-Ops session, is it?"

Returning just in time to catch Alec's words, Zack snorted in disgust. "Of course not. We just need to collect life samples off you so that we can get you off Manticore's radar."

"WHAT? How?" Alec asked, surprised.

Zack smirked. "We have our own resources."

Max frowned. They must have just come up with something recently. After all, when she had left them to go to Alec, they were still nowhere close to solving the problem. "What's the plan, Zack?"

"It's really simple. Jack came up with it." Zack shot a questioning at Jack. "Jack?"

Jack walked up to them. "We need to process Alec so that we can get enough information to duplicate parts of him."

Stunned, Alec gaped. "Duplicate?" he echoed weakly.

Wearing an equally stunned look, Max tried to guess what Jack had planned but nothing came to her. "Is this something new from HQ?"

Jack nodded. "It's one of Deck's old ideas. We have done it on a smaller scale before, but now we're trying it on a bigger scale."

Comprehension dawned in her eyes. "You don't mean…"

"Yes. Synthesise part of a limb or two and his teeth. That's all we need. Infuse it with enough of his DNA and Alec's going to look like he's been in a car wreck," Jack explained.

"How long is this going to take?" Alec asked curiously.

"A day or two, I would guess."

"Any ideas on Manticore's movements?" Max asked. "Won't they be searching for Alec already?"

Zack replied, "Seth's looking into that as we speak."

Max frowned. "Hang on! If we can make Alec disappear, why can't we do the same for Seth?"

Zane snorted, his entire face displaying his disapproval. "That idiot wants to remain in there as a spy."

Max's eye widened. "What? Why?" Seth must realise how dangerous it was to do something like that. Granted, he was one of the best. But still, how long could he keep it up before he cracked?

Shaking his head slowly, Zack said, "I don't know, Max. You've got to ask him."

Max rolled her eyes. Yeah, sure.

Eva called out. "Come on, Alec. We're running out of time."

Max caught his glance, and for a moment, their eyes locked in silent understanding. He wanted her to be there when he got back. She gave him a reassuring nod. Then he left with Eva.

"Max?"

She turned around to face Zack. "Yeah?"

"Keep an eye on him and show him the ropes, will you? And before you protest, just remember that he's more likely to listen to you than the rest of us."

Max gaped. "But-"

Zane grinned. "We're not blind, Max. We can see that he has a thing for you."

Glowering at Zane, Max snapped, "Shut up!"

Unperturbed, Zane just waggled his brows.

* * *

Alec laid down on the couch with his arms linked behind his head. The television was on, drawing his attention like magnet. But his mind was far from the flickering images.

His introduction to the Unitech team had been interesting. He had been wrong when he thought only Max, Zane, Zack, Jack and Seth were transgenics. It turned out that there were quite a few more. Zack had finally explained to him that they used to be Unit 2 back in Wyoming. The details of how they had managed to get away, however, remained a mystery to Alec. He guessed that they did not trust him _that_ much. Not just yet.

Not that he blamed them. It was good enough that he had been allowed to join them. Not to mention he even managed to secure living arrangement with a reluctant Max.

So this was where she _really_ lived. Alec smirked as he thought of the empty apartment he had ransacked less than a week ago in his attempt to find her. He should have known better. This place, with its comfortable couch and the homey feeling, was more like Max than the other sterile apartment.

He could really get used to this, he thought as he blinked at the white ceiling. A comfortable couch, the air filled with a scent which was uniquely Max and a television right where he wanted it.

"Hey, get your feet off the couch!"

Or maybe not, he thought with a groan. Swinging his feet off, he sat up to find himself staring at Max's midsection. He deliberately let his eyes travel up slowly, pausing at the curve of her breast before he reached her face.

To his satisfaction, a faint blush was covering her cheeks.

But the indignant fire in her eyes was the thing which broke the proverbial camel's back. His arms snaked out and snagged her waist. Ignoring her surprised gasp, he pulled her down onto him.

A pair of shocked chocolate brown eyes locked onto his.

Grinning, he said, "You missed me, I see."

"Alec…" she warned. "Let me go."

She could easily escape if she had wanted to, Alec thought in amusement. But she was still in his arms.

"So, what were you thinking back when you were touching my face?" he asked in a teasing tone.

She visibly reddened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"This," he said softly, trailing a finger across her forehead and down the side of her cheek, imitating what she had done to him a few days ago.

She sucked in a sharp breath, and her eyes glazed when she looked at him.

Alec felt his breath hitch in his throat. He was behaving like a lovesick puppy, but he could not help it. She had an odd effect on him. With a heartfelt groan, he snaked his hand behind her neck and pulled her close. His entire body thrummed with anticipation.

"You're not in heat this time," he whispered against her lips.

A strangled sound escaped her, but she did not pull away. Instead, she seemed just as entranced as he was. Gently, he brushed her lips with his. Her mouth opened in a soft gasp. Encouraged, he licked those lips and caught the lower one in his teeth.

"Alec…" she whispered. "What are we doing?"

He replied between nibbles, "What I wanted to do for a long time."

Then he kissed her fully, delving his tongue in her mouth. Vaguely, he felt her arms circling his neck, pulling him closer as she responded to his kisses. His body heated up, and he strained to maintain control.

Alec groaned deeply. The fingers caressing the sensitive nape of his neck were not helping either. He felt goosebumps explode all over his body. Grasping the base of her neck, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

Caught up in the pleasant sensations, Alec almost missed the sound of a door being unlocked. When it finally registered, he let out a silent groan of defeat and loosened his hold.

* * *

Max shot up into a sitting position just as the door opened. Quickly, she scrambled away from Alec's lap. Unfortunately, in her hurry, she had managed to trip and tumbled down into a heap on the floor.

Groaning in irritation, she cracked open her eyes to see Zane's dusty boots right in front of her face. The idiot just had to come home at the most unfortunate times.

"Max?" Zane queried gingerly. "What are you doing on the floor?"

Before she could reply, Alec butted in, "Oh, she just didn't want you to see her sitting in my lap."

"ALEC!" She was going to kill him, however good his kisses might make her feel. Heck, she was going to kill BOTH of them, she thought murderously as she got to her feet.

Zane grinned. "I see." Turning to Max, he said, "The couch, Max? I didn't know you had it in you."

"Stop it, the two of you," Eva interjected firmly.

Max tossed her a grateful look, and then glared at the two smirking males.

"Has everything been moved out?" she asked tightly, trying to divert their attention to something else.

Eva nodded. "It's all done. Jack and the rest are setting up the new Command Centre in Terminal City as we speak."

"It's just as well," Zane remarked.

"Why?" Alec asked.

"Because this sector's the next on Manticore's checklist," Eva explained as she poured herself a glass of water from a jug. "We wouldn't be able to move so freely once they're here."

Alec stiffened visibly. "Where are they?" he asked tightly.

"About a day away. They are still sweeping the northern sectors," Zane tossed over his shoulders.

Worried, Max asked. "What if they turn up sooner?"

"Seth's on his way to intercept them."

Max gasped. "WHAT? He's going to blow his cover."

Zane shook his head. "No. He will intercept them, and point them in the wrong direction."

Alec groaned. "They're not going to buy it."

"They will when they find your charred remains in the wreckage of a car."

"If this doesn't work, they will begin to suspect Seth. I mean, what are the chances of him being in the same place as Alec?" Max asked worriedly.

"We sent a couple of Ordinaries to plant Alec's bits-" Zane began.

"Bits?" Alec interjected incredulously.

Zane tossed a smirk at Alec. "Yeah, your bits, pretty boy. Anyway, your bits will be planted the place where Seth is working undercover for Manticore. Apparently Manticore had warned all field personnel to look out for Alec, so it won't seem to strange when Seth reports in with a sighting."

Alec threw his arms up, looking uncharacteristically flustered. "How do you guys know all this?"

Zane smirked. "Because we have eyes and ears everywhere. And because we're the good guys."

Alec just glared at Zane.

Max shook her head in resignation. She could just see Alec and Zane locking horns in the future. And it was not going to be pretty.

"Come on. Let's get a bit of shut-eye before we continue," Eva called out tiredly to Zane.

"Ah, I get it. And leave these two lovebirds alone, right?" Zane teased. "Um…careful with the couch. The rest of us still want to use it."

"Zane…" Max warned through gritted teeth. She was going to kill him some day.

Holding his arms out in a gesture of surrender, Zane quickly left the living room.

* * *

They had done one last check on the old place before they finally headed for Terminal City. Each of them had turned back for a last glance at what was previously their Command Centre. In a way, Alec knew how they felt. After all, by joining them, he was also starting anew.

The excitement which had buzzed through Terminal City for the last half a day gradually died down as the transgenics congregated in their new Command Centre. They huddled close to the screen, watching the flickering satellite imagery. Thick, black smoke billowed up into the air, making it even harder for them to see what was going on.

"They're there," Alec said in a strained voice.

Max sneaked a glance at him, noting how tense he looked. She did not blame him for reacting this way. After all, he had just seen himself 'die'. The staged explosion had occurred about half an hour ago, and by now, most of 'Alec's remains should be charred beyond recognition, leaving just enough for Manticore to identify him.

Suddenly feeling the urge to comfort him, Max touched his wrist lightly.

To her surprise, he visibly relaxed. Before she could retract her hand, he threaded his fingers with hers and grasped her hand firmly in his.

Max's eyes shot up. Putting an arm around her shoulders was one thing. But holding hands? The guy was moving fast. But was he really? After all, they had been flirting, in their own weird way, for months now.

Max flushed as she remembered their kiss back in the apartment. Maybe he was not moving that fast after all. Anyway, whatever it was, she was not complaining.

They continued to watch as Manticore retrieved the remains of the wreckage. It was only after Manticore had left the area that Max allowed herself to breathe freely.

Eva broke the silence. "I guess that's it."

"Yeah," Alec said quietly.

Zack gave him a reassuring look. "There shouldn't be any problem, Alec. Jack knows what he's doing."

"Seth's going to let us know if it works."

Alec nodded.

"Let's go," Alec said gruffly, tugging her hand.

She eyed him with concern, and then she nodded.

* * *

Two month had passed since they had moved into Terminal City. Things had since gone back to normal, with the exception of Alec as an additional team member.

Seth was now spending more time in Manticore and less time with Unitech. The information he collected from Manticore were valuable. He was the one who informed them that the plan with Alec had worked, and he was now listed as deceased in Manticore's database. But Max hoped that someday, he would decide to come back. Even though they were no longer a couple, she still missed him.

Tinga had given birth to a beautiful baby boy and had named him Chase. It had taken her a while before she managed to persuade Unitech to allow Charlie, Chase's father, to join them. But in the end, Lydecker had relented and the small family was now living in a small apartment not far from Terminal City.

Brin was practically cured from her Progeria, but had been advised not to go on long-term missions just in case she suffered a relapse.

Jondy, Krit and Syl had returned from their long undercover mission and were now taking a well-deserved break. Krit and Syl had immediate flew off to some resort, wanting some private time to themselves, leaving a disgruntled Jondy to complete the paperwork for their mission.

Max smiled as she thought of the last talk she had with Jondy. Apparently, Zane had been annoying her practically on a daily basis ever since she had returned. It was not hard for Max to guess what was on the male transgenic's mind. After all, anyone just had to mention Jondy's name in relation to heat and Zane would immediately become flustered.

To Zane's annoyance, Max and Alec had been paired up as partners. She and Alec used to be rivals and now they were partners. Max grinned at the irony of it. It was funny how things turned around.

Said rival-turned-partner was now sitting beside her on top of the Space Needle, gazing out into the sunset. This time, he was the one who insisted that she accompanied him there. And that he had something to say to her. That had been a while ago, and they had been sitting in silence ever since they arrived at the top.

"Max?"

She looked out of the corner of her eyes to find Alec looking at her strangely. "Yeah?"

He gestured in the space between them. "Do you think we might have something here?" he asked, looking uncharacteristically serious.

Could he be saying what she thought he was saying? She wanted to laugh. Alec was really something when he was like this. Both of them had not actually said anything to each other about their ever-growing relationship, but words were not needed when they were so busy using their mouth for something else.

"Something? Like what?" she prompted teasingly.

He levelled a pointed look at her. "Do you really need me to spell it out?"

Feigning ignorance, she plastered a frown on her face. "You don't strike me as someone with a problem talking."

He grinned and then a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "You're fishing, Max."

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Why is that?"

He took a step forward, closing the gap between them, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "I think actions speak louder than words this time."

She grinned. "Now, that's something new."

He lowered his head and captured her lips in his.

Suddenly feeling lighter than she had ever felt in a long time, Max closed her eyes and with a small smile, surrendered herself to the moment.

* * *

**- THE END -**

A/N: That's it. I have to say I'm relieved that it's finally done. I hope you've enjoyed the story. Thanks for staying with it through all this time. Please leave me a last review to tell me what you thought about the whole story.


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